Nashville has some legendary songwriters, I mean really talented people. They're rarely the people who sing the hit version--it's been that way since Crazy and continues through The Last Thing I Needed first thing this morning--but some of the best songs of our lifetime are first heard in places like the Bluebird Cafe. What makes Nashville special? It's those songwriters. God bless 'em all.
--
The latest edition of Oil Change is up on the Oilers site, well worth watching if only for the War Room footage. Some of the things that caught my eye were that no one in the room appeared to be directly involved in the Shawn Belle deal. It leads me to wonder if that was done via the AHL General Manager Bill Scott, requiring only a signoff from the parent organization. Anyone have insight into this? Do AHL teams make trades that involve Oilers minor leaguers? Or did they just cut out a lot of footage.
The Dustin Penner trade seems to have been closed in a quick hurry and had been discussed for some time. The sticking point was the depth pick (LA apparently didn't want to give it up) but the Oilers clearly wanted that first round pick. I'm confident because the war room table didn't seem to know a lot about Teubert as an AHL player (healthy scratch and some struggles). It appeared to be confirmed in the media conference later in the day when (I beleve) Terry Jones asked Tambellini about it.
--
The Oilers had a get together with their season ticket holders on the weekend and at one point ST discussed the group of players being considered for #1 overall. Among the names mentioned (based on reports) were Adam Larsson, Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan Strome and Dougie Hamilton. This tells me two things: the list remains far more fluid than one year ago--with some late breakers--and that Sean Couturier must have what the scouts consider a fatal flaw.
I asked EJ McGuire about it on Saturday and he seemed to feel that skating and lack of physical play wouldn't impact his draft number. McGuire on Couturier: "He is long legged and snmooth and very deliberate, yet sees the ice well. If you want a firewagon hockey you might pass over this player." He believes Couturier will be in the NHL next season.
I got the impression from Oil Changes that there was discussion regarding a few of the Kings' d-men in the AHL. There were a couple references by the pro scouts in this regard. I have to believe many of the comments were clipped out, so it's hard to say for certain if Teubert's AHL struggles were discussed. I hope they were.
ReplyDeleteI do worry that they settled for a lesser prospect in Teubert for an extra draft pick. That's not ideal negotiating considering you don't need to make the deal.
I think Couturier's problem is not enough bells and whistles, and not enough pro eminent asset.
ReplyDeleteMakes it tought to ''see him good''
tough to watch the games now, other then hoping for some growth from Petry, Hartikanen, Omark and MPS. Never watched the new Oil Change, but it scares me that Tambellini didn't listen to the magnificent bastard. Would he be a better GM? Seems like most GM's in hockey come from the ice, while a lot of GM's in baseball come from the scouting background (maybe old players, but they've had experience in the scouting area). I wonder if that would be a better formula for a GM, in that it could be an old player, but have them spend a few years scouting, giving them a better handle on the development of talent. In Stu we trust, so maybe it makes sense eventually to have him run the show.
ReplyDeleteAnd by eventually, I mean right fricken now.
DBO: In Baseball it's constantly the same teams in the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteI'm visiting Nashville this spring (if Nashville doesn't strike you as being on the route from Fredericton to Edmonton, you have a very different understanding of geography than I do), and have tickets to the Grand Ole Opry, which makes me feel like I shouldn't be so ignorant of country and western (basically, I know Johnny Cash and those portions of Willie Nelson's and Waylon Jennings' careers that involved collaboration with Neil Young). Can anybody recommend something like "The Storied History of Country & Western for Dummies" (which doesn't exist, I checked)?
ReplyDeleteFPB: Since 2001, there have been 9 different World Series winners. What DBO was saying was, in hockey it seems a lot of GM's are guys who were former pro players but in baseball, the GM's tend to be former scouts or math wizards. I like the baseball template alot better. Being a great skater doesn't neccessarily prepare you to run a multi-million dollar organization or evaluate players.
ReplyDeleteBeing a great skater doesn't neccessarily prepare you to run a multi-million dollar organization...
ReplyDeleteWell, neither does being a scout.
Or a math wizard, for that matter.
ReplyDeleteThough, I do think we can all agree that, if you're looking for someone to run a multi-million dollar organization, you should get an American rather than a Canadian.
ReplyDeleteI don't get how so many people praise scouts.
ReplyDeleteWhat does it take more than getting a GM job? Absolutely 0, nada, nothing.
As far as I know, they could be as awful as the mass of GM's out there.
And some teams sure proved it (Minnesota, Florida etc).
It's like assuming Mcguire knows more than us on players because ''he sees them more often, and he's an inside source''.
John Ferguson Jr. (while he had an education and other things going for him) got his start in a scouting background. Just saying. I think FPB is right, get the best man available regardless of background, and not just because of his background.
ReplyDeleteI think what most people here mean, is that they have more faith in Stu than then do in Steve. I mean it could work out, ala Ken Holland, or it could not, ala JF Jr.
Personally, I like Stu where he is, and I hope it's not just luck and he can continue to bat them out of the park. What I do want is a competent GM and president...I'd sorely love to see Yzerman run the Oilers. From where I sit Stevie Y seems to be one of the top 3 GMs in the league right now. Lots of smart moves and good bets.
Had a chance to watch only the first segment of the new Oil Change last night and want to see the rest before passing judgment.
ReplyDeleteBut from the comments it does not give me a warm fuzzy regarding management's decision making (re: the Penner trade). Hope 3.0 and Vish don't screw up the draft (only they could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory).
Thought about going to tonite's game just to see some of the kids, but just can't muster the enthusiasm at this point and would probably wind up rooting for the Preds.
@ Steve Smith: Have lived in Nashville (the Big Guitar) now for about 7 years and while I'm not a country music fan, a couple of worth while stops are the Ryman Auditorium (like going to church, only better) and the Country Music Hall of Fame. The latter will give you a good history of the genre. Lot's of people don't realize there's more to the music scene in this town than country, but regardless of your music taste, it's worth a half day.
the point is that when you have issues attracting talent, you require the need to grow talent. Org's like Minnesota who can't compete money wise grow talent better then most teams. My question was more toward would we be better off with a management team that has a more solid foundation in scouting then in NHL player years. Not saying an old NHL player can't be a gm, but i wonder how many teams would be better off having a GM who comes from the scouting world, and who would have the ability to recognize both talent and organizational needs. Which by my eye, we have had an issue dealing with. by that I mean, while the last few years have been better at the draft table (which can be directly attributed to Stu being in charge), our NHL procurement department has been sorely unable to fill the glaring needs of the NHL squad.
ReplyDeleteWhile our management seems more likely to be entranced by the shiny objects in the room. Look at our trades, we always go for "failed" 1st round picks. it seems like we just go by the draft ratings of a player, and assume our org can turn them into the player they were projected to be, instead of acquiring players who fill our glaring needs regardless of draft pedigree (see Brodziak, Kyle as an example of a player that we could desperately use right now, but who we moved because we had former 1st rd picks we wanted to play whether they were better or not).
DBO: What? Minnesota's drafting was TERRIBLE.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHere are two examples of what I would like to see Darryl Katz do:
ReplyDeleteDaryl Morey, GM of the Houston Rockets. Got his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Northwestern University & his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He then went on to be a professor @ MIT in Analytical Sports Management before he took the Rockets job.
Theo Epstein, GM of the Boston Red Sox. Got a Degree in American Studies at Yale University and while he worked in the PR Department of the San Diego Padres he earned his Law Degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.
What the owners of these two franchises have done is surround these guys with professional scouts and talent evaluators but the final call is their GM’s. That seems like the way to go, IMHO. Take an educated person, with a love of their sport, surround them with people who have tons of practical experience, let the smartest person in the room sift through all of the information that has been gathered and let the chips fall where they may.
I’m not saying that a former player can’t do the job. But the world of professional sports is getting more and more complicated not less and after watching the devastation of the Oiler’s under Kevin Lowe’s reign, it makes me wonder if the fact that the guy had zero experience before he was handed an Assistant Coach position, Head Coach position, General Manager position and finally Head of Hockey Operations job isn’t directly related to where our team is currently relegated in the Hockey World.
One of my old fav bands are from Nashville, and they aren't country. i'm kind of ashamed to say I loved them now since most people just know them as a pop rock chart-topper, which they weren't back in the day.
ReplyDeleteThis is them before they dumbed down their music.
Pboy: You are aware Boston has more money than anyone but the Yanks, and Houston is last in division?
ReplyDeleteI think that the death knell for SC, at least when it comes to the Oilers, is his skating more than anything. We know Tambo wants to add size and 'grit' but I also think they are looking to build a club that has great pace. We know that this was a hallmark of this club in the glory years and in the Little Team That Could era.
ReplyDeleteSpeed.
Lack of it is what killed Stortini and I would bet that in the end it may do in Gagner as well.
Don't know if its Renney but he has given a push to Cogliano whose only asset is his wheels and to Reddox as well.
I think that all things being equal the Oilers will take a faster player over a guy who is off the pace a bit.
And if this is the issue with SC then they aren't going to take him.
fpb: sorry, I meant the twins
ReplyDeleteFPB:
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that Epstein has a shitload of money to spend but he's done a great job of rebuilding the Red Sox organization and their minor league teams are generally rated in the Top 5, year after year.
Are you aware that there is a hard cap in the NHL and the organizations that are run the most efficiently, probably have the best chances to be successful? Are you also aware this is the way it works in the business world as well. Companies that have smart people at the top who are passionate about what they do, usually outperform their competition.
In Houston, they have been without their franchise player (Yao Ming)for almost the whole season. Do you think that might have had an effect on their success this year?
DBO: Oh right. Then yes it's a good exemple.
ReplyDeleteBut at the same time, they're has been great player GM's. (Even if some didn't make the NHL), like Shero, Regier, Holmgren, Mcphee, Holland, Poile, Wilson etc.
Pboy: Redsox get better prospects than they should because they can actually sign them. A lot of the poor teams can't afford to sign BPA.
ReplyDeleteFor the other part: Holy shit, don't you tell me.
Btw: Ken Holland was a player, then he worked his way to GM chair.
the upsetting part is that Tambellini has experience in the scouting world, since he was head of player personnel for the canucks and oversaw the scouting department. I think PBoy's point is valid about smart people. You need to surround management with top end people, and maybe the issue lies with KLowe's influence. Tambellini seems to be swayed by Lowe more then others, and if that is the pecking order, nothing will change quickly. I would hope that Stu gets more of a say in player procurement going forward. I can give Tambellini a bit of credit, in that he seems to let Stu make the decisions at the draft table (with the exception of the 1st overall pick, which came down from on high. It was the right choice of course).
ReplyDeleteDBO: Some scouts are really bad, like any other management position.
ReplyDeleteRe: Teubert - Lowe said in the same conversation with Stu that they had a good handle on what he is.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I'd believe it, though. Especially when asked about Montgomery, Lowe says "It's all Greek to me!"
Huh, Oilers have whupped Nashville last two times, allowing a total of just one goal in those games. What could possibly gowrongowrongowrongowrong?
ReplyDelete@Steve Smith: try "Country Music for Dummies", a publication of the Dept of Redundancy Dept.
@LT: j.k.
Dreger report on the Worlds...
ReplyDeleteCanada will set its sights on a number of NHL young stars including Edmonton's Jordan Eberle, Colorado's Matt Duchene, Blues forward Chris Stewart and Islanders forwards John Tavares and Matt Moulson are expected to be among the first invites sent out
and...
Ken Hitchock, Mark Messier, Tom Renney, Brent Sutter and Paul Maurice are also believed to be among the group in consideration for a role with Team Canada.
I think what most people here mean, is that they have more faith in Stu than then do in Steve. I mean it could work out, ala Ken Holland, or it could not, ala JF Jr.
ReplyDelete...or Craig Button
Gowrongo - Isn't that the new Johnny Depp flick?
ReplyDeleteI agree tough, i'd be hard for Stu to be worst than what we got right now.
ReplyDeleteThis might have been mentioned but with the Pat's season being done. Drinnan reports that D Brandon Davidson will finish up with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons.
ReplyDeleteTheo Epstein, GM of the Boston Red Sox. Got a Degree in American Studies at Yale University and while he worked in the PR Department of the San Diego Padres he earned his Law Degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.
ReplyDeleteYes, boy wonder. I wonder how he would do as GM of the A's?
fpb nailed it. Boston has a big payroll and routinely takes better players in the draft due to signability concerns. They have no problems getting FA's due to the whole Red Sox mythology.
JP Riccardi was a director of scouting/ scout. He was great at digging up bullpen arms but otherwise was a flop and ran the Jays farm system into the ground. His replacement, Anthopolous, started as an intern with the Jays. The early returns on him are terrific.
There is no magic formula for what makes a good GM. A smart GM will surround himself with smart people and take their advice. At least Tambo has MBS.
Vancouver made the right choice hiring Gillis over Tambelli IMO Gillis is one of the best GMs in the game. I don't think there is a resume for success. Good leaders/managers emerge from all kinds of backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteIm not actually a Tambelli hater. He seems to have his strengths too. He relies on MBS to do what he does best and he is building the farm system nicely. The only thing I hate about the rebuild is the pace. But with Hall, Eberle and the next #1 (assuming we nail it.. cross fingers) along with the development system about to yield dividends this team should be set up for some time.
There is no magic formula for what makes a good GM. A smart GM will surround himself with smart people and take their advice. At least Tambo has MBS.
ReplyDeleteLet's just hope Toonces doesn't negate the advantage by disregarding Stu's advice too often.
Seems like there would be a lot of wads blown around here if Stu became the GM of the Oilers.
ReplyDelete@LT
ReplyDeleteThe Moose make moves that don't appear to be directly influenced by Vcr quite often. Seems to be if you're not on an ELC or a legit prospect the AHL GM has discretion. If the guy aquired by the AHL GM does well and gets called up then it's just job security for the AHL GM. I suppose you have to trust the guys in mgmt positions in those leagues at some point or you replace them with people you do trust.
Interesting answered chat question from Aaron Portzline..
ReplyDeleteQ: Do any of the cbj bigwigs follow the chat?
A: Yes, they read the chat and all of the coverage. (hello fellas) They're even prone to checking out message boards to get a pulse of the peeps, such as that is.
Noteworthy because of Howson being there. I wonder what HF poster Kevin Lowe is...
I like Stu's work so fine and I'll like it a whole lot more once more of these kids start arriving and contributing but running amateur scouting and being a GM are two different animals. There is less of a difference than that between a guy who played and a GM (I still don't understand how people look at a guy and say 'he was a great player, he will be a great GM') but its still different.
ReplyDeleteStu does not have to negotiate contracts or make trades or take a longer term view than providing the organization with scouting reports and recommendations on draft eligible amateurs.
He is good, maybe even great, at that.
He might make a good or great GM but we have no way of knowing that.
The thing that made my head turn on that episode last night, as mentioned previously, was how they referred to Teubert's draft reports when his name was brought up. Seriously? Unless this was just a request to flesh out the picture (which it may have been) it does not reflect well on management. What are the reports on the guy NOW, not when he played junior.
Irony of ironies we were all forced to cheer for the Flames last night.
ReplyDeleteThis is the sublime thing about the new age Lowe regime - we're allowed to do things like this.
Actually the Flames aren't that bad a side - too bad they're doomed and won't make the playoffs, while their version of incompetant management clings to the hope that iginla etc can somehow rekindle that 2004 magic, har har.
ReplyDeleteNot wanting to be a party pooper or anything, but aside from a couple of prospects who can easily bust, who exactly has this Stu guy actually got for the team?
ReplyDeleteAny fool could have drafted Taylor Hall, aside from some of the geniuses who think a prospect with 1 great draft season surpasses the greatest Memorial Cup player of all time.
Or are we meant to be excited about prospects now?
"Marge I'm confused".
Anyone watch the LA/CGY game last night? I was impressed by their #2 centerman. He went 58% on the dot, got the only regulation goal, scored in the shootout. Pretty good speed, decent size - 6'1", 210lbs.
ReplyDeleteApparently, he's 8th in the league in faceoff percentage, and he's gone 7 for 8 in shootouts this year! Goes by the name of Jarret Stoll. Oilers could use a guy like that.
Irony of ironies we were all forced to cheer for the Flames last night.
ReplyDeleteNope. Hate is hate.
Plus, the worse they do, the better that Staios third rounder is looking.
Noteworthy because of Howson being there. I wonder what HF poster Kevin Lowe is...
I am going to go out on a limb and guess he is not posting under the name "Dennis".
Any fool could have drafted Taylor Hall
ReplyDeleteUnless they were me (and the other legion of unnamed Tyler supporters, who at this moment at least are proved wrong).
I think the best formula for success in achieving a GM position is having outstanding results in previous positions with related experience. Thus you look for a guy (or gal, heaven forbid!) who has success in managing, negotiating or running a business and see if their track record fits the needs of your GM position. In a lot of ways it is like scouting, pro or amateur, in that you cannot guarantee success, but you can certainly guarantee failure if you do it wrong.
Punca - "get outta heah, you punca you!"
Plus, the worse they do, the better that Staios third rounder is looking.
ReplyDeleteI would rather have Staios on the Oilers defense right now than, say, Foster.
And that's a valit point.
I am going to go out on a limb and guess he is not posting under the name "Dennis".
ReplyDeletelol
@hunter1909,
ReplyDeleteI guess you have some of our loyalties confused. Just like LT would never cheer for the Habs, I don't cheer for the Flames - ever. I would rather see them miss the playoffs and get a crappy draft pick than see the Oilers mgmt fall into a better pick from the Penner trade.
Sure would be nice if LA pick was a good one, but first and foremost seeing the Flames come up short and finish 9th or 10th makes me a happy man.
And as far as my pecking order goes, the Make-beleafs are ranked #2 due to the center of the universe mentality and seeing Burkie fail. Habs I guess would be #3.
Just my view.
Leafs are worst
ReplyDeleteCanucks second
San Jose, Philly, ATL, Minnesota, Anaheim, Shelbyville and Wullerton make up the remaining worst 10.
Unless I miscounted there, by a wispo.
You got me. I'm Kevin Lowe.
ReplyDelete*This message came via blackberry from an Oilers pancake breakfast.*
Dys fans are the worst. Going on and on about superstar Manny's eye injury like it was a tsunami-like disaster.
ReplyDeleteNot wanting to be a party pooper or anything, but aside from a couple of prospects who can easily bust, who exactly has this Stu guy actually got for the team?
ReplyDeleteWell, there's this Jordan Eberle...
In seriousness, though, he's been head scout since the 2008 draft. The oldest kids are 20 years old, they're all still prospects.
Dys fans are the worst. Going on and on about superstar Manny's eye injury like it was a tsunami-like disaster.
ReplyDeleteI'll take "players who would be our number one centre if they were healthy and on our team" for $793, Alex.
Preistop: A teacher becoming frustrated part-way through with a student's misspelling of clergy.
The injury to Manny seriously impacts the depth of the Canucks. Part of the reason why the Canuckles are so damn deadly is 3 lines that can jump over the boards and outscore you, with 3 excellent pivots, and a 4th line that isn't a complete clustersomething.
ReplyDeleteThink of it as losing Stoll or Peca back in 2006 right before the playoffs.
Tom Benjamin has a nice writeup on the loss of Malholtra. Quality player and his loss hurts but if that derails the inevitable Cup victory for the Canucks then they're just not that good.
ReplyDeleteHunter - I think that the love for Stu comes from the fact that so many of the guys he has picked later are tracking ahead of where they would be expected to be. Hall and Paajarvi and probably Pitlick as well were all nobrainers.
But Eberle would go higher if that draft were held again. Same with Hamilton, Marcinin, Lander and a lot of the lower round picks as well imo.
Teemu was one of his also, yes? Sixth round pick who will have a dozen games under his belt and probably a roster spot next year I would believe.
We won't know for sure for a few years but based on what we are seeing so far Stu deserves quite a bit of credit.
As for management types posting here I would guess Katz is the bookiesh type based on the latter's unrelenting positive outlook.
We all know that "Bruce McCurdy" is Zach Stortini, "Traktor" is some guy who was cuckolded by Horcoff and, easiest of all, "Steve Smith" is Oilers' assistant coach Ralph Kreuger.
Hartkininen was Prendgarst's pick.
ReplyDeleteThe Leafs used to be my most hated team, then I went to University in Toronto and they grew on me. Their fans are the most like Oiler fans and have suffered as much as we have.
ReplyDeleteI hate that they hired Burke and Wilson because I really dislike both of them...but the Leafs franchise is okay in my books.
I HATE the Canucks though...HAAAAAATE.
D Brandon Davidson will finish up with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear of this. He was our best junior-aged defenseman this year, regardless of what people will tell you about Martin Marincin. Davidson was much more consistent.
Ed: The Moose only make moves on their own personnel (AHL/ECHL contracts). They can't make a move on a player on an NHL/AHL contract because they aren't our property. For transactions like the one that landed us Keith Seabrook for the duration of the year, it's Gillis that pulls the trigger to approve the "loan".
On Malholtra, it doesn't matter that he goes down for the season, Van's got the depth that they can promote Hodgson and move on like nothign happened. Unfortunately. I hate teams with organizational depth across multiple positions...
Kamus:
ReplyDeleteHarski was an '08 pick. He's all Stu.
Clay,
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget Stoll was RFA at the time and that it wasn't at all clear he was ever going to be the same due to his concussion problems. Keeping him wasn't anywhere near a home run option.
"Companies that have smart people at the top who are passionate about what they do, usually outperform their competition."
ReplyDeleteAaaah, that's cute.
All this talk of finding a GM with a scouting background and no single person has mentioned trying to bring Jarmo Kekalainen back across the pond? Really?
ReplyDeleteOil change last night gave stunning insights into this management. The biggest surprise was the pro scout meeting. I know they cut out a lot of the discussion, but I think it is quite clear that this is a motley crew of half assers collecting paycheques. You can see it in their body language. Compare it to the amateur scouting meetings. The lack of information on Teubert was appalling. This trade was developing for weeks. They should have had good insight into all the pro prospects in LA's system. I think one pro scout (Olzcyk?) was just quoting off the HF website. It looked to me like they were dazzled by his draft pedigree, and were trying to believe it was a good fit for the Oilers. One of Tambo's first questions is "How big is he?". Seriously? How about "Can he skate and play hockey? Any injury history?" to start things off? This makes it more clear what happened the last two years at the deadline. They had to move Vis (trade request) and wanted to trade Smyth (contract fail), and took an oft-injured declining former first round pick from ANA, and garbage prospects from NYI for Smyth due to poor due diligence. It is astonishing how many times the Oilers have been schooled with these failing first round picks. Everyone in the league must think we are the dumping ground for their failing first rounders. "Get some value for that guy before he falls off the cliff....call the Oilers. They'll take him, they don't even scout".
ReplyDeleteAlso, the heavy editing didn't manage to take out some critical information about who is running the show. I didn't believe some of the posters here who say that Lowe is running this team, but he clearly is. It is only natural for employees to first look, and mostly look at the person with the most power and the person you want to most hear your words. ALL the pro scouts spend most of their time looking at Lowe. No one is even paying attention to Tambo. They (and be they, I mean Lowe) have clearly edited out most of Lowe's comments in the war room to give the impression that Tambo is running the show. The only one they kept in was when one scout wanted to see what Lowe had to say and said "K Lowe?", and he replied something like "I don't know anything", and they all gave a courteous haha to Lowe that anyone gets when they are being overly modest.
Kudos to all of those who have called this all along. This is Lowe's team. Tambellini is just another face to be fired in a year or two.
Most hated team?
ReplyDeleteIf you grew up in the 80s, there is only one answer.
Calgary Flames.
Regarding DBO's suggestion of MBS being the GM, I would agree. MBS is a strong personality, possibly the strongest in that group. He's a no bullshit guy, in all episodes of this Oil Change, Tambo shows extreme deference to Stu even on matters that should have little to do with him as the head of amateur scouting. MBS is the only current executive that could truly run this team with his own agenda with Lowe in the room since he would not be afraid to disagree and tell Lowe how he wants to do it. I think he is the heir apparent for the GM job (unless he has no interest), and I agree that it may be a step backwards for the Oilers considering his obvious talent in amateur scouting.
ReplyDeleteOther interesting items:
Hall with a shaved head in profile is a dead ringer for the moose. For a moment I thought we had really turned back the clock. His ankle was terribly swollen after that injury. I hope they hold him back if he decides he wants to come back for the last few games of the season which he is likely to do given his personality.
Why do hockey players like driving escalades? Wouldn't a car be sufficient for single guy without any family?
Jones seems to be a good guy in the locker room. Maybe he being groomed to take over that role from Struds?
Omark looks like a fun guy too. He seems to command a lot of respect from teammates despite his short term with the team so far. I've never seen Penner stick up for anyone like he did for Omark. Character guys are hard to find.
The phone call with 6 minutes left until the deadline was clearly from Sather. They obviously had been working on something since Tambellini said something like "So have you guys decided anything?". I'm surprised that didn't get leaked. I'm curious what we were interested in apart from their first round draft pick, and I imagine we were sending Hemsky, or possibly Peckham given that Sather loves Peckham.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Penner stick up for anyone like he did for Omark. Character guys are hard to find.
ReplyDeleteActually Penner's done that a few times. Recall when Gagner got into that scrap with Kesler? Penner spun around and started bee-lining for Kesler until he realized Sammy was a willing combatant.
Manhandling of his teammates, particularly perhaps the smaller ones, seems to not sit well with Penner in general.
Seems like a pattern with Lowe and Tambellini that they don't necessarily put up a fight for which players they get in return in trades as long as they can get an extra pick in the deal.
ReplyDeleteI remember Burke talking about one of the sticking points in the Pronger trade being the conditional first. Also, in the Cole for O'Sullivan deal the Oilers were apparently upset that Williams wasn't offered to them and got the second in compensation. In the most recent deal Tambellini acts like he won a big victory by getting a third thrown in.
I guess everyone would like to see them target a specific player for a change.
Also, what's the deal with only 3 pro scouts? Gare, Abbamont, and Semenko don't seem like an awful lot of eyes to be keeping tabs on the 60+ pro teams in North America. Seems like you'd want to have more coverage.
I should clarify: Yes, Penner has stuck up for several smaller guys, but he seemed to really get fired up when it was Omark...surprising considering his short time with the team so far. Omark is clearly a likable guy with a strong personality who is commanding early respect from others on the team.
ReplyDeletehunter
ReplyDeleteAny fool could have drafted Taylor Hall
I would tend to agree with this comment although it would seem MBS at least made the the correct choice vs the ballyhooed alternative. A #1 overall should be a license to print money but in fairness MBS doesn't seem to have messed up a bunch of later 1st rounders either and at the same time has certainly managed to improve the "look" of our prospect list. For me the Skinner pick 7th overall was a far more praiseworthy accomplishment and I'd have been 100% sold on MBS if I'd just heard the kid get a mention or three as an option in the top 3 or 4. Creativity would have been having the sack to trade the 1st overall for a player that could step right in and contribute while still landing a Skinner. Maybe a little unfair in hindsight but wth?
Eberle for me is still the primo catch during the MBS era. The move the kid tried the other night pulling the puck back through his legs and attempting the top corner forehand reeks of one far more mature than he is. We haven't even scratched the surface of what this kid is capable of and imo he'll be our Steve Larmer to our Denis Savard for many years to come. Larmer was one of my top 3 EVER just cuz I like the complimentary players that never get a ton of ink types.
I remain unconvinced on the Pitlick option at 31. I just don't see this one panning out higher than a real nice AHL, sometimes callup shot.
Wouldn't mind seeing this kid as a late round option this year if he's still around.
Brenden Kichton Spokane Chiefs 64 23 58 +81
Overager, LH shot, a little small but I've seen him good for a few years now and whats to lose in the 6th or 7th? Obviously getting some ops he didn't have in previous years but that p/m is pretty damn scary.
McNeil could be a nice choice with LA's pick if he's picked up some grit along the way. Another seen him good so take it for what it's worth.
Betting more on the side of the Oilers being quite familiar with this kid, another SHG type, with an obvious Lowe connection.
Dillon Simpson U of N Dakota 30 2 8 10
Stupidity would have been having the sack to trade the 1st overall for a player that could step right in and contribute while still landing a Skinner. Maybe a little unfair in hindsight but wth?
ReplyDeleteFixed it for you. In five years Skinner will be a good player, Hall will be a great player. Skinner has a lot more protection in the order and has got off to a fast start. Hall is playing the toughs and succeeding. Messier didn't light the world on fire as a rookie either.
I remain unconvinced on the Pitlick option at 31. I just don't see this one panning out higher than a real nice AHL, sometimes callup shot.
The guy is 3rd in rookie scoring in the WHL and would have easily been second had he not been hurt.
He is 19 whereas plenty of rookies are 16 or 17 (the guy who is in second is 20) but there must be a big adjustment coming from college to riding the buses in the WHL. He has great hands, good speed, and nice size. He almost made the Oilers out of training camp.
Maybe he will be the next Ryan O'Marra, or maybe injuries will get him, but its way too early to say that.
its way too early to say that
ReplyDeleteWhich has never been an obstacle around here.
BTW, there's this 13 yr old playing in a bantam league(?) who should be the next Gretzky.
Its totally menti
Bar Qu: Have you heard of this revolutionary way of scouting?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/video/tall-black-man-at-the-gym-could-be-the-next-nba-su,19205/
I remember Burke talking about one of the sticking points in the Pronger trade being the conditional first.
ReplyDeleteAre you talking about the conditional first that became Jordan Eberle? I'm glad they had the sack to hold out for that, it wound up being the best of the five assets.
"ambleduf" - a blind squirrel
Tencer...
ReplyDeleteOilers report that forward Ales Hemsky had successful shoulder surgery today to repair his torn labrum.
Where do people put the odds at of the Oil actually making a major deal (ie trading a roster player or shuffling picks around to get another top-10) at the draft this year?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they'll be trying like mad to pull something off, but I'd go with 1 in 4.
I'd say there is a greater than 50% chance we see Hemsky moved at the draft or around free agency.
ReplyDeleteSTEVE SMITH- Try Colin Escott, "The Grand Ole Opry: The Making of an American Icon"
ReplyDeleteBret Bertholf, "The Long Gone Lonesome History of Country Music"
Bill Malone & Jocelyn Neal, Country Music, U.S.A.: Third Revised Edition
That should give you a good base. I grew up like LT, and music was always playing in my house. My dad was an encyclopedia of C & W trivia, like; Hank Williams was also know as Luke the Drifter a gospel singer and the recently departed Ferlin Husky was AKA Simon Crum.
jon k:
ReplyDeleteI'd tend to agree on Hemsky if he was healthy, but I don't think there's any chance there's a market for him now after his surgery.
His trade value is all but gone, and I think the best we can hope for is that he'll get nervous enough about his future to sign a long-term deal for short dollars.
I'm sure his agent will bring up Gaborik as a comparable though and convince him that full market value will still be there next summer.
Stupid Sather.
I think management tries to move him before he has a chance to re-injure himself next year and face a Gaborik-type situation.
ReplyDeleteAny trade in the offseason will be contingent upon Hemsky passing a physical. I suppose it is possible that Hemsky has not yet rehabbed his shoulder in the 3 or so months until the draft.
Hemsky:
ReplyDelete1. Was his surgery on the opposite shoulder from last year or same one?
2. How far back does the present shoulder pain go?
From what I read, once those labrums repaired, the shoulder is better than before afterward. Maybe Hemsky comes back and finally pain free has a break out year next season.
Decisions, decisions.
Jake - It is the opposite shoulder. He said he was feeling pain since last season but tried to rehab it instead of surgery so that he could play this season.
ReplyDeleteIs there any reason for me to watch this game?
ReplyDeleteDucey:
ReplyDeleteGotta disagree on pitlick, he's scoring as much as he does because of Vey, Etem and the PP. He isn't a go-to performewr on the Tigers and, to my eyes, has trouble producing his own offense. He's riding coattails.
Ribs, thanks.
ReplyDeleteSo I wonder what kind of damage offensively Hemsky could do with 2 healthy shoulders and not being concious of a potential injury to the point where it makes him tentative (not that he shys away any from the situations that can injure players).
Boy I am curious what 83's future holds with this team. Like I said couple of posts back, decisions decisions.
I liked 27 - obviously - and I think he's gonna help the Kings but do I think they'll win the Cup?
ReplyDeleteNot really.
So, I wasn't overly surprised but still disappointed and angered when the Oilers sticking point for that deal was the fucking third rounder and Tambo proudly announced, "a 2nd rounder if they won the Cup."
I guess the Oilers think they is more likely to work out given they handed Burke the last piece of a Cup team for nothing real off their previous year's roster.
and the trio of pro scouts were less then inspiring. Gare came across as a yokel or yahoo and the big guy didn't have much to say at all. Plus, Semenko's seems like a nice guy and good for him for working through his troubles but is he the kind of guy you want for a pro scout?
BTW, far be it from me to stop the magnificent bastard meme but unless he's to scouting as Ted Williams was to hitting, one of these days Stu's gonna have an off-year and then we'll wish we actually held on to some of those established players.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWasn't Omark 2007? 4th rounder?
ReplyDeleteDucey said: In five years Skinner will be a good player, Hall will be a great player
ReplyDeleteAnd you know this for a fact because???
Ducey said : Hall is playing the toughs and succeeding
Eliminate that and count avg PP time the last 10 complete games each played. Hall 2.74 mins vs Skinner 2.69 mins
It is comforting to know that Hall is the next Messier however.
Ducey said : Pitlick is 19 whereas plenty of rookies are 16 or 17 (the guy who is in second is 20) but there must be a big adjustment coming from college to riding the buses in the WHL
I did not know that rookie scoring as it pertained to overage players in their first junior year was a big factor and I'm sure making the leap from the WCHA to the WHL at 19 (close enough)is bang on equal to making the same jump from Midget AAA at 17. Pardon??
Ducey said: (re Pitlick) its way too early to say that
I also did not know that saying one is "unconvinced" of a player making a strong contribution at the NHL level while still playing major junior was verbotten here. Tks for straightening me out.
Jake,
ReplyDeleteYep, looked it up after I typed.
http://lowetide.blogspot.com/2008/04/omark.html
ReplyDelete97th overall, 20 when he was drafted.
roinge: Jason Strudwick's range factor.
On another note, I really liked what I saw from 56 the other night both on the forecheck and around the net but as of right now he's still shaky covering his points and getting the puck out.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of that, a guy who's already good at that is 91 and the other night he was looking to score as well and of course that's a positive sign.
On another note, anyone here a fan of the show Classic Albums? I saw the Sabbath "Paranoid" edition last night and dear jesus was it ever good.
That's a terrible shot by Jones. He's gotta hit the net on that
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly was Hemmer's projected recovery time when the surgery was announced? I thought I heard at one point that he was going to miss a chunk of next season.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen classic albums in years but iirc it was a vh1 program seen on mtv/much music.What channel was it on Dennis?
ReplyDeleteI've seen the Doors and Hysteria and Goodbye yellow brick road,but like I said I haven't seen it in years.Behind the music was a good show as well.
1-0 Preds already.
GR: I think it was a channel called Aux and it was on Rogers Cable.
ReplyDeleteI have Bell but my sister has Rogers and I was at her place.
I saw a couple of the same ones as you along with Nevermind and Music From Big Pink.
The thing about last night's show was the guys came off as really likeable and Iommi was laying down all the riffs and talking about how the sausage was made.
Make that 2-0
ReplyDeleteFor those pulling for a scout to become GM, it might be of interest to look at the backgrounds of the most successful GM's in the league at the moment.
ReplyDeleteGillis (former minor league player, law degree, former agent.)
Ray Shero (former minor league player, double major in economics and sociology, former agent)
Burke (former minor league player, Harvard law degree, former agent)
Chiarelli (former college player,law degree, former agent)
Lombardi (former minor league player, Tulane law degree, former agent)
Bowman (Notre Dame finance degree, CBA administrator)
McPhee (former player, Rutgers law
degree)
Doug Wilson (former NHL player, 4 years with NHLPA as coordinator of business development and personnel coordinator)
Paul Holmgren (former NHL player and head scout
Ken Holland (former head scout)
Kevin Lowe (5 Stanley Cups)
Steve Tambellini (No Stanley Cups, several positions with the Canucks including PR Director.)
It appears the trend among successful GM's includes law degrees and former agents.
Nollense I'm dreaming.
Anyone have a link to the game?
ReplyDeleteShameless promo here, but if anyone's interested in some general hockey reading, check out my new blog:
ReplyDeletehouseofpuck.com
I had the chances at 2-7 for that period.
ReplyDeleteThat close, eh?
ReplyDeleteDennis-all you can eat classic albums on youtube...I would have thought that stuff would have been pulled down re:copyright but there you go.
ReplyDeleteDennis - have you caught any of Rock and Roll Stories, just started last night, its focussing on the music scene in Toronto in the fifties, great stuff. Its on Bravo.
ReplyDeleteTeemu got caught on one goal last game, the one Weekes praised JV for when he was directing Petry to cover two men in front while he went for a skate.
Anyhow Teemu was a little late to the point there but my guess is he will be ok. 20 years old and he's gone from Finland to AHL to here in less than a year. Once he figures out the speed he'll be ok.
Both goals were pretty by Nashville.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see a transcript of that conversation between V.03 & Slats (at least it's assumed it was Slats) on Oil Change.
GR: I've never watched any CA stuff on there but a couple of Xmas ago I watched Megadeth's BTM on there.
ReplyDeletePat: I haven't seen it but I read John Doyle's glowing review in the Globe.
For those who don't know, Doyle is a great writer who's as funny as fuck. Outside of his love of Glee - I think that's show's even too gay for homosexuals:) - the guy cracks me up on a consistent basis and I'm a tough audience.
56 seems to have that down-low spin move down pat.
ReplyDeleteI've seen him do that a half-dozen times since he's been up.
Yeah, Harski's a handful and a half on the end wall.
ReplyDeleteDoyle going down to do the network schmoozefests is always a good read, the pitch is all for the Entertainment Tonight crowd and he has a somewhat more dubious perspective on the whole enterprise.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time though he's not just pissy, he likes stuff too. Just doesn't like crap, and probably Really hates getting pitched.
While enjoying the buffet, no doubt.
messitfu - even you guys can figure that one out
Dennis - yeah that's where I found out about it too. And I'm a Doyle fan as well. He makes the Palin crowd mental as well which counts for something.
ReplyDeleteWorth a look though, some great stories from the likes of Ronnie Hawkins and Robbie Robertson, interesting look at a different era.
What do you have to do to make the Palin crowd mental? I thought they just kind of came that way.
ReplyDeleteI have two questions:
ReplyDeleteWhat did Dennis do in a former life to deserve this? Who wants to watch this nightmare?
What is considered to be Stu's first draft? '07, right? I think he got the gig in Sept '07, but I assume he was in charge at the draft.
Anyway, I see him as average to above average. Not a heck of a lot better than Prendergast. Here's an idea for Scott Reynolds - could you look at Prendergast vs. MacGregor in terms of pick position probabilities? Seems like something up your alley.
Great word for head scouts: "hypess"
Oilers bumped Prendergast upstairs mid-Sept 2007, so the first draft that MBS was in charge would be 2008.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Legwand is getting the soft opp tonight and man he looks good. I don't recall seeing him being this offensive ever.
ReplyDeleteOn Doyle: I remember when the Globe tried to work as a pay site and I really missed reading Doyle because there was no way I was paying for the access.
ReplyDeleteOutside of his love of Glee and The Republic of Doyle, I think he's great.
He had a throwaway line up front in today's piece about Little Mosque On The Prarie that had me rolling.
I know it's nothing, but MacIntyre has made more hockey plays in the few games since Hartikainen and Vande Velde arrived than he did all year.
ReplyDeleteThat was an almost play there.
Vandermeer, Struds, MacIntyre, O'Mara and Petry on the ice at the same time.
ReplyDeleteAny bets Petry can outskate the other four players skating forward while he skates backwards ? LOL
the overall on ice salary for this team must be the lowest in the league.
ReplyDeleteLT: You talking about that centring pass that went through everybody? Yeah, it almost Looked like a hockey play.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Legwand is getting the soft opp...
ReplyDeleteOr "Oilers".
A real nelybip, that David Legwand.
Bruce: Yes, that's the one. I haven't seen him pass the puck with authority like that all season. Now, there was no one there, but still..
ReplyDeleteI am seriously blown away by how Kurtis Foster is somehow so terrible at every aspect of playing defense. Everyone harps on Gilbert being soft. Guy only blocks a hundred pucks. Foster is huge and doesn't hit, can't shoot, nor play defense. I think he may be worst than Strudwick.
ReplyDelete... Exactly like that play right there. Does absolutely nothing, just falls down into Dubby.
ReplyDelete@Andrew,
ReplyDeleteAnd by my eye today, Gilbert is having a strong game. The move at the blue line on the PP set up the goal by Ebs. A nice play
He as taltiont
Boy that's a good time to have a bogus whistle
ReplyDeleteanother example of fine NHL officiating. they don't even know their own rules. If they may a mistake, faceoff is supposed to be at center.
ReplyDeleteskilkopy ... if only the refs had some ...
how does Ebs corral that pass from Teemu?? Incredible hands.
ReplyDeleteFoster had a bad sequence there. Hope he's okay. He's been terrible this season but he's also been through a lot.
ReplyDeleteFoster must be the worst player in the NHL making over a million dollars. You hate to blame the victim but that has to be one of the stupidest plays I've seen in that situation after the Stefan debacle.
ReplyDeleteBy my numbers the Oilers playing this game have a combined cap hit of 25.1 million dollars. That includes Khabi's 3.75MM.
ReplyDeleteYou could improve this roster with 35MM of returning, injured players and free agents.
I don't know how much insurance covers injured players, but Katz is probably saving a little coin here.
Jones -.97 - Cogliano 1 - Eberle 1.1
Omark 0.8 - Reddox 0.5 - Paajarvi 1.5
Giroux 0.5 - VandeVelde 0.5 - Hartikainen 0.875
MacIntyre 0.5 - O'Marra 0.7 - Strudwick 0.7
Smid 1.3 - Gilbert 4
Vandermeer 2.3 - Petry 1
Peckham 0.5 - Foster 1.8
Dubnyk 0.8
Khabi 3.75
@LT,
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Tough times for Foster. That looks like concussion.
Forward coming up now ? or Chorney ?
Arcobello with a late goal to tie 3-3 for OKC. That young man has some talent.
ReplyDelete@jonk,
ReplyDeleteYa, he put himself in a bad situation when he didn't make the pass on the puck. The thing is hitting a guy into the boards when he's not by the boards is a boarding penalty. But given the odd occurrence of how this happened, no call.
"Steve Smith" is Oilers' assistant coach Ralph Kreuger.
ReplyDeleteI'm an associate coach, you cad!
Er, I mean, a third year law student at the University of New Brunswick.
I think Foster must have hit his head before he got on the ice for that last shift. A horrible sequence there.
ReplyDeleteGene tweets...
Tom Renney said after game Jordan Eberle went to have his ankle-foot looked at after blocking shot and no update on Foster who was woozy
I have the first two periods logged SC-wise and I'll get the other one tomorrow and then throw up the results.
ReplyDeleteBoth 2 and 26 have the ability to be bad on a Cory Cross level.
The Oilers have lost their ability to identify D
Steve Smith, your Varsity Reds are the AUS champions I see. Man the Fredericton schools have had some good hockey teams the last 15 years or so.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was going to games at the old Studley Arena on the Dal Campus in the early 90s, they were the Red Devils, didn't realize they changed the name.
I don't think Dalhousie has made the final tournament since, well, forever.
Colorado scores with 4 seconds left to tie Columbus. They get at least that 1 point - vital, as the Oilers held the tie-breaker over them (regulation & OT wins)
ReplyDeleteI might end up cheering for the Oilers for the first time since December 2nd (Was at ACC for first time in my life)
Was thinking the same - Foster has lost all confidence - it's become awkward to watch and it looks his season will end with him getting toppled over like a Jenga tower.
ReplyDeleteTough year no doubt, but he's become Cory Cross. The 2 on 2 he turned into a 2 on 1 by falling over and that final gaffe pretty much sum the season up for him.
2 + 26 = Ulanov + Cross
It's not the Foster I remember with Minny. His bolted together leg must be limiting and his mind is understandably elsewhere.
Eberle can't be seriously injured,he hasn't got 42 points yet.
ReplyDeleteColorado with the shootout win over the Jackets and an 8 point spread on the Oil.
I was actually in Kurt Foster's lineup for photo opportunities at the Oilers season ticket holder event. His line was a mere 2-3 minutes when I was there.
ReplyDeleteNice, humble guy. A hand shake followed by, "Hi, I'm Kurt"
That said, it's a results oriented business. I suspect his time with the Oilers will be a short one.
On a completely unrelated note, the Avalanche win. 7 back of Ottawa (they have tie-breakever over us - less shootout wins), and 8 back of Colorado. As long as the Oilers don't win 4 games this year, they will be guaranteed one of RNH or Larsson.
Good times.
Eberle can't be seriously injured,he hasn't got 42 points yet.
ReplyDeleteGuess how many he's on pace for.
Steve Smith, your Varsity Reds are the AUS champions I see. Man the Fredericton schools have had some good hockey teams the last 15 years or so.
ReplyDeleteThey have. They've actually built up a bit of a rivalry with the Bears, and I spent a hell of a long time at the U of A not earning a degree, so my loyalties are a little conflicted. It's nice to see the Reds do well, though, what with this being a pretty small town and the Reds being the only show in it.
@Dennis,
ReplyDeletere:Identifying dmen. I think it's been all down hill there since they were silly enough to let Hejda walk after the 06-07 season as a FA.
I watched him a lot that season and loved his calm demeanor with the puck and how he always seemed to be in position. He was a -6 that season and then followed it up with to seasons in Columbus of low +20's.
If they can't appreciate Hejda, they had lost the view.
Unfortunately other committments kept me from seeing the game tonight, but great to see the boys came through with the L.
ReplyDeleteCombined with the Avs winning streak, 30th place is looking pretty good tonight.
Here's a quote from a Flames fan re Oilers perennial injury woes: "The injury bug hits a lot harder to a soft hobbit sized team".
Those wacky Flames fans.
@hunter,
ReplyDeleteDid you tell the Flames fans that a bunch of old plow horses don't win many races to playoff spots ?
LOL
I didn't think Oilers would decide to turn into the 1972 Islanders, but since they're going to be the worst team in the NHL again next season, who looks good for the 2012 lottery?
ReplyDeleteRe Hemsky leaving: Don't worry. There are plenty of failed 1st round picks for Oilers to bring into town, just like Slats used to do!
Those wacky Flames fans.
ReplyDeleteIt's refreshing the Flames went on a tear in the last 2 months. They'll likely now draft 14th or so - worst possible result.
That team is in cap hell too. Langkow will be back next year bringing his massive 4.5 cap hit despite being out of hockey for a year. Staios and Kotalik contracts will likely come off the books, but that's mitigated in Giordano's Gilbert-esque raise.
Two of their better players in Glencross and Tanguay will also be paid closer to FMV, if they're retained.
The Flames have a summer 2009 Edmonton Oilers vibe to them, sans AHL quality goaltending.
Regwald: I'd love to condole the Flames fans with stories of valiant yet futile late season charges, but it's more of a kick watching them curse the OIlers losing to the Preds.
ReplyDeletePunjabiOil: "Refreshing" lmao - wonderful choice of words there.
ReplyDeleteI saw most of that LA game yesterday - Flames are a pretty decent team - just not all there if you know what I mean.
Hunter1909's Fearless Prediction: Losing Malhotra = no cup this season for the Canucks.
@hunter,
ReplyDeleteGood point ... it's nice that the Oilers can be counted on for one thing ... more injuries and playing out another sad string. It can make a grown man cry.
My question is if K-Lowe sold his soul to the devil for the '06 run, shouldn't he get a refund since they lost in game 7 ?
nobaling - the def'n of the current mgmt teams ability to make tough decisions.
I also watched the Flames game last night. I was surprised how little ice time Smyth got, not even on the power play. I wonder if he is injured?
ReplyDeleteI would love the Oilers to overpay for Glencross. He is quite skilled actually, high end speed, hard, accurate shot (except in the shootout), quick release, excellent penalty killer, tough, dirty. I think he could play on a line with Horcoff and Hemsky for a million less than Penner, with a mean streak.
One other player I am amazed at is Tanguay. He is very similar to Hemsky. After this bounceback season I wonder how much money he will command? I would think he should get around $4 million from someone. If its the Flames, they can't keep Glencross, especially if Langkow is back.
I hate the Flames though and couldn't believe when they sent out Glenx on the shootout for the tie instead of Kotalik. Ales may not be much of a player but he is money in the shootouts.
As for the Oilers, I am watching O'Marra and hoping he could maybe take the place of Brodziak, but for a guy who had a reputation as being gritty in junior he sure doesn't show it in the show. Also seems to lose every faceoff he takes. Maybe he just has nerves and needs to feel more comfortable but VdV appears to be winning more faceoffs than 42.
I would love the Oilers to overpay for Glencross.
ReplyDeleteExcept for those 5-10 game stretches where he disappears. Being here in Cowtown, I hear the fans complain about that more often. He is not the guy to chase to help the bottom 6, and certainly not as an overpay.
welingal
That said, it's a results oriented business.
ReplyDeleteUh, maybe the NHL, but we're talking about the Oilers here. The Edmonton Oilers. This is not a merit based organization.
As a few of you were, I too was surprised to see only 3 pro scouts at trade deadline table.
ReplyDeleteIs this an area that could be improved upon?
As a few of you were, I too was surprised to see only 3 pro scouts at trade deadline table.
ReplyDeleteIs this an area that could be improved upon?
While I'm not going to argue, based on results, that the Oilers shouldn't improve their pro scouting, it's possible that some of their scouts were out of town, no? As I understand it, the pro scouting beat covers the NHL, AHL, and ECHL (but not the European pro leagues) - seems like there'd be a lot of travel involved.
I think I caught a glimpse of Frank Musil in one of the amateur scout meetings on Oil Change - made me happy. I liked that guy.
Yep, yep draft RNH for another smurf, with Hall the line enforcer. If you do draft RNH, you'd better start drafting the meanest, fast, big guys you can to play with Hall, RNH because if Eberle is there, they're dead by the end of the first period.
ReplyDeleteI think I caught a glimpse of Frank Musil in one of the amateur scout meetings on Oil Change - made me happy. I liked that guy.
ReplyDeleteScott Ferguson is why Musil is a scout with the Oilers.
March 9, 1998 - Edmonton trades Ferguson to the Ottawa Senators for Frank Musil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ferguson
Bar Qu
ReplyDeleteBTW, there's this 13 yr old playing in a bantam league(?) who should be the next Gretzky.
Worked pretty good with Tavares.
cabbiesmacker
ReplyDeletethe "?" denoted that I have no idea what level bantam is, or if 13 year olds should be playing in it. It was merely highlighting my point that we tend to get a bit ahead of ourselves here. Which is fine b/c it makes for great discussion, but sometimes we gotta realise we are just talking out our collective singibli.
In an alternate universe where Tambo traded Penner at the beginning of the season to either Col or Ott for a 1st, we could grab Larsson & Couturier.
ReplyDeleteI always liked Frank Musil myself. I remember an interview on CBC where he just raved about the Oilers. Top notch organization, loved how patient they were with him, helped him get over his horrific injury and gave him a chance to play again and retire on his own terms. On and on about how good they were to him and how they followed up to make sure he was doing okay etc.
It makes me wonder WTF happened between then and now. The refrain seems to be players not having any idea WTF management has in store for them or where the team is going. Then you have Souray coming out and lambasting the upper echelons.
As an aside, I don't see him slipping that far, but if the Oilers could snag David Musil I'd be quite happy with him. Projects to be a big, mobile, solid defence first type, with some inklings of offensive ability (wouldn't bank on it). Basically a better version of his father =).
Verification word: forest - maybe it's a sign the Oilers need to draft a tall tree? Metaphor for the forest the Oilers are lost in?
uni: What happened to the Oilers? Kevin Lowe took over the Oilers, that's what happened.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't UFA's want to sign here? Ask Pronger/Souray/Comrie etc for clarification.
Oh I know some of you(the Lowe gang) will start arguing, as is wont with sports fans.
Hunter:
ReplyDeleteThe front-runner for the '12 draft is a small-ish Ruskie that's tough as nails. Probably because his name is, well, Nail. Nail Yakupov.
But he's Russian, so he's not an option for Edmonton regardless of the fact that he scored 49 goals in his first (17-year old) season in the OHL.
Just because I've got THN's future watch open and handy, other names of consideration are Ryan Murray who almost made the WJC team this past year, Mikhail Grigorenko (6'3 RW), Nick Ebert (6'1 D), Martin Frk (6' RW).
Weird thing is, if there's anywhere in North America exactly like Russia, it's got to be Edmonton - sans the women.
ReplyDeleteIn an alternate universe where Tambo traded Penner at the beginning of the season to either Col or Ott for a 1st, we could grab Larsson & Couturier.
ReplyDeleteIn a similar alternate universe where Penner was traded to the Kings at last years draft for their first...We get the 15th pick. LA took Forbort.
It was umm...fun, watching him play some games here this season...I guess.
And just for kicks, if we traded Hemsky to the Rangers at the draft as well, we'd have the 10th pick. Rangers took McIlrath (Fowler still on the board).
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVerification word: forest - maybe it's a sign the Oilers need to draft a tall tree? Metaphor for the forest the Oilers are lost in?
ReplyDeleteMetaphor for the fact some can't see the rebuild for Lowe?
I could see the Oilers drafting Yakupov as he has been in the OHL and will have shown he can handle the rough stuff and has made a committment to North America. They are clearly shy - somewhat justifiably - of guys who are going to play the KHL card if asked to go to the AHL or at RFA time.
New slogan for 11-12: Fail for Nail
I'd like to see a 30th place finish for the next 3-5 years.
ReplyDeleteThen Lowe gets fired, haha.
In regards to Foster, he is probably having a tough time actually recovering from his injury.
ReplyDeleteI know as a coach before a player is allowed to return to action they must have; 100% strength, 100% mobility, and 100% mental readiness.
The first two are easy to measure using the proper fields tests, but the last one is not easily measured and can be an objective measure. I think Foster is still not 100% ready from a mental standpoint. I think he should work with a sports psychologist for awhile. Dr. Saul MIller comes to mind.
The Oilers have a sports psychologist (and competitive body builder) under contract no? Hopefully she can help Foster out and get his head back into the game if that is indeed the problem.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was odd that Minnesota let him walk after he recovered. After he broke both his legs they tendered him a 1 year contract. A sort of, we know you're not playing next season but we take care of our own, and we'll take care of you. Very classy, and surprising for a team that isn't known to be 'rolling' in the money.
mistru: all the anonymous source could say on the phone before being cut off, when asked about the Oilers upper management.
I'd like to see a 30th place finish for the next 3-5 years.
ReplyDeleteThen Lowe gets fired, haha
You know what else is fun? Cutting off your nose to spite your face. 'Cause it makes sense.
Uni do you think the Oilers have hired a good sports psych? I don't think so and I would rather work with a guy like Saul Miller who is independent of all teams.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the extra $$$ you pay an independent guy garantees you the confidentiality you might need. Foster strikes me as a guy who really needs some mental work. The hard part is that he works in an industry where machismo rules.
CrazyCoach: Is there such a thing as a sports psychologist for fans? All this fucking losing is getting to me.
ReplyDeleteBruce for the right amount of money, I can get a leather couch for you to lay on and spill your guts out to me. We'll go through relaxation techniques and I'll put you on suicide watch.
ReplyDeleteI might end up cheering for the Oilers for the first time since December 2nd (Was at ACC for first time in my life)
ReplyDeleteYou know the season is well and truly a lost cause when PJO starts cheering for the Oilers.
Good thing the Avs got those "vital" two points last night, cuz if we finish more than 10 points out of second last, we get an extra draft pick, right? Just like last year, eh. Oh that's right, that was just a private fantasy. Nevermind.
DFL is in the bag, I would be stunned to see Oilers get as many as 63 points which is where Ottawa is right now. You look at the team, er unit, hmmm, how 'bout "bunch of random dudes" we're trotting out there these nights, against teams that really need the points for the most part. A game like last night was a good case in point, where the Preds kicked the shit out us for 10 minutes and then squeezed the life out of us for 50. The game was downright painful to watch in either mode. And two more regulars in the clinic after it was done. These are awful, awful times.
PS @PJO: I'm thrilled for you that the boys came through that night at ACC. That had to be sweet; I loved that game just watching it on the tube. One of the few high points of the season, but whipping the Leafs 5-0 in their own barn would taste sweet at any time, any era. Being in the building, though, mmmm ....
ReplyDeleteBruce watching the Oilers play these days is like watching an anaconda killing its prey. Wrap yourself around them and wait for the inevitable exhale, then constrict and wait for each exhale to get gradually smaller until its game over.
ReplyDeleteAnd the worst part? We actually watch this stuff.
@CrazyCoach: There, I feel better now, not sure if I'm laughing or crying but I'm letting it all out.
ReplyDeleteThe price was right, too. This Internet thing is great.
And the worst part? We actually watch this snuff.
ReplyDeleteFixed that for ya, CC.
Bruce I know most cops say there's no such thing as a snuff film, but the last 155 games of the Oilers are conclusive proof of that.
ReplyDeleteGood golly, maybe we all need to be assessed for psychopathy.
I'm thrilled for you that the boys came through that night at ACC. That had to be sweet; I loved that game just watching it on the tube. One of the few high points of the season, but whipping the Leafs 5-0 in their own barn would taste sweet at any time, any era. Being in the building, though, mmmm ....
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was definitely a fun game to be at. Tons of Oilers fans there. Surprisingly, not all of them were ex-Edmontonians. Guy I sat next to had never been to Edmonton. The most popular jersey was of course #99 - guessing they became fan in the 80's and stuck with the team ever since.
Went to Wayne Gretzky's after that game. A shame that Greztky hasn't opened up an Edmonton location.
^
ReplyDeleteIt's quite sad, actually.
CrazyCoach, she was apparently the head SP for the Canadian Olympic team last Winter Olympics, and worked closely with the women's teams. Based in Alberta I believe, which probably played a role in her selection as well.
ReplyDeleteI still say bring Chad Moreau back, and LISTEN to what the man is saying this go around as well. Some proper off ice training and a good head tuning won't make everything alright, but it sure as hell will help.
That anaconda analogy made me sad, then I remember how Woodguy reminded me about sports gambling...now the Oilers struggles are finally paying off at least.
PJO: One sentiment where you and I are in 100.0% agreement, is that it's quite sad, actually. Quite, quite sad.
ReplyDeleteI'd say there's a good chance 26 bounces back because there's no fucking way he can be this bad two years in a row, is there?
ReplyDeleteThe guy has a lot of his mind and there's no way it isn't affecting him.
All that being said I don't want to take the chance that he won't be terrible again and I'd like to see him moved.
then again the plan's probably for another bottom five finish and in that case it makes sense to keep 26.
Oilers tweet that Giroux has been sent back to the Barons. That's rough.
ReplyDeleteEberle is okay and Foster will likely not play tomorrow.
Oilers tweet that Giroux has been sent back to the Barons. That's rough.
ReplyDeleteI have not been that impressed but Rel Corsi likes him. TH and VDV have looked better to my eye. But Rel Corsi again doesn't agree.
Here are some selected Rel Corsi:
Plante! 17.4 (so there everyone)
Hall 10.3
Eberle 9.5
Horcoff 7.0 (so there Tractor)
Omark 6.9
Gilbert 5.7 (so there Gregor)
Giroux 5.3
VDV 5.0
Foster 3.9 (so there Dennis)
TH -7.1
Jones -12.0
Certainly a surprise to see Plante leading the way and TH near the bottom. Maybe Gabe was drunk when he calculated the Oilers' numbers.
You were absolutely bang on with your age/level designation BQ. I was merely confirming that in the case of phenom's it can sometimes pan. Tavares is an exception of course. Kid was 6'3 at 14 and that wasn't the only way he stood far above his peers.
ReplyDeleteAs far as assessing that early in a hockey career goes I've had a bit of experience tks to my son. He played with and against some great and potentially great ones. He was a 92, last years draft eligible kids, so some names are familiar. Against Gormley, (14 - 5 shellacing courtesy of Notre Dame), Pysyk, Petrovic, Simpson, Bunz, to name a few. The best player on his team, Bill Ranford's nephew was the #1 scorer in Alberta Bantam AAA that year and ended up being the second last pick by Philly at the draft. McNeil from this years top 30 is another.
What were once phenoms in their own right can fall hugely once the microscope becomes national in focus. Still fun to see some names and being able to say "I saw that kid when he was...."