What exactly is the problem?

[PDO]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

We do not have only a handful of veterans. We have a lot of them and they are contributing very little. They are considerably less than perfect on a consistent basis.

Veterans in the top 9: Torres, Horcoff, Hemsky, Stoll and Reasoner.
Veterans in the top 4: Staios, Tarnstrom, Souray, Pitkanen

So.. who there is underachieving? Hemsky needs to be better on the PP, Stoll needs to be better period... outside of that everyone there is producing as best as we could generally hope for. There just aren't enough of them. Dustin Penner is in his second season in the NHL. Cogliano and Gagner are in their first. Brodziak is in his first. Greene his third. Grebeshkov his first. Smid his second. Gilbert his first.

It's a very, very, young team.

[Kevin Feterik]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

One issue is high-priced Oiler players need to be in shape:
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/n...9adc82&k=75656

And I call BS on Nanookster's claim that Lowe has no money to spend... according to nhlnumbers.com (http://nhlnumbers.com/overview.php?team=EDM) the Oilers are spending $48M this year, with only $2M of cap space.

Lowe has the money to spend, he just spent it in a stupid way.

[Kevin Feterik]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

Double Post.

[Deathsdoorstep]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

Kevin Lowe spent the money well, IMO. Fans are bound to be impatient, and the Oilers haven't been honest about the rebuilding that's going on. It's obvious. But as long as expectations are artificially kept high by the refusal to admit it, fans are going to be quick to judge.

Penner may not be where he is supposed to be yet, but that was still a good signing.

And for all your talk Kevin, our injury riddled boys are exactly 5 points behind your team. Whoop do effin do.

[PDO]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

And I call BS on Nanookster's claim that Lowe has no money to spend... according to nhlnumbers.com (http://nhlnumbers.com/overview.php?team=EDM) the Oilers are spending $48M this year, with only $2M of cap space.

Lowe has the money to spend, he just spent it in a stupid way.

I've been saying that since they cheaped out on a defenseman in the Summer of '06 while refusing to take on any salary in the Pronger trade.

It just would've been nice if they would have spent the money when it could have been spent a million times better, rather than waiting till Katz came and buckling under the pressure to sign Souray and Penner to big deals when they could have tried to bring in a guy like Hossa in the Pronger trade.

It all just keeps coming back to Kevin Lowe ****ting the bed, and while it's nice to be right... **** I'd rather the team just win.

[Sectionq]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

This team is going to be fine. When a team loses arguably it's top 3 defencemen, they are going to struggle. When we get Souray and Pitkanen back, this team will really take off.

I really like the direction and the moves the team has made. I love the Penner signing. The fact that Burke keeps spouting off about it tells me that he is pretty choked he lost Penner and he knows that Penner is going to be a hell of a player. If Penner is as bad as Burke pretends he is, then he would be laughing at KLowe and not caring.

As much as I hated to see the Smyth and Smith go, I think the team and dressing room needed some new blood and new player voices.

The only thing I would say is I think the Oil need to burn all of their water bottles and buy new ones and start trucking in water from some other place for the team to drink because the water they are using right now, has to be cursed. The amount of injuries they have had over last season and now this season is ridiculous.

[Deathsdoorstep]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

The Oilers have issues with coaching, inexperience, and injuries. The GM is not a problem in Edmonton.

[Numberz]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

I don't see a huge problem with this team. They are going to be pretty good in a few years, so don't mess that up. We'll have to struggle through another bad year or two, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Rayminator]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

This team is going to be fine. When a team loses arguably it's top 3 defencemen, they are going to struggle. When we get Souray and Pitkanen back, this team will really take off.

I really like the direction and the moves the team has made. I love the Penner signing. The fact that Burke keeps spouting off about it tells me that he is pretty choked he lost Penner and he knows that Penner is going to be a hell of a player. If Penner is as bad as Burke pretends he is, then he would be laughing at KLowe and not caring.

As much as I hated to see the Smyth and Smith go, I think the team and dressing room needed some new blood and new player voices.

The only thing I would say is I think the Oil need to burn all of their water bottles and buy new ones and start trucking in water from some other place for the team to drink because the water they are using right now, has to be cursed. The amount of injuries they have had over last season and now this season is ridiculous.

Fantastic post. Agreed on all points, especially the bolded part. Maybe Burke should get together with Alexei Yashin and they can have a WHINE and cheese party...

I don't see a huge problem with this team. They are going to be pretty good in a few years, so don't mess that up. We'll have to struggle through another bad year or two, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Agreed. When you think about how Cogliano, Penner, Gagner, Hemsky, and Pitkanen will look with a couple of years under their belt, combined with the fact that by that time hopefully our returning players develop some chemistry we'll be a force to be reckoned with as long as we can maintain good goaltending...

[lloyd]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

I'm officially on the bandwagon... Fire MacTavish! Once again this team was not prepared to come out and play tonight.

[Deathsdoorstep]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

...and some lacklustre play from Roloson, again. He's well under .900 this year.

[earl2]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

We'll have to struggle through another bad year or two, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Agreed.
It's just gonna be frustrating in the meantime...

[Numberz]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

if Cogs and Gagner keep playing the way they've been playing, then it won't be THAT frustrating.

[PDO]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

Agreed.
It's just gonna be frustrating in the meantime...

I'd feel a lot better about the future if we didn't have an anchor of a contract in the form of Sheldon Souray's bum shoulder for the next 5 seasons.

if Cogs and Gagner keep playing the way they've been playing, then it won't be THAT frustrating.

And similarly, if Gagner was in the CHL like he should be at this point, I'd feel a lot better about not burning one of his cheap years and exclusive years.

Gagner has certainly been spectacular for an 18 year old... but he's still an 18 year old. His Corsi number (Shots directed at the net, includes missed shots and blocked shots, minus shots directed as your own net) is well into the minuses and one of the worst among Oiler forwards, despite the fact that he's one of only 3 Oiler forwards (Gagner, Sanderson, Schremp and Pouliot) who has been on for more offensive zone faceoffs than defensive zone faceoffs.

I know to most people, stuff like this means absolutely nothing... but this is the **** that drives hockey games in one direction or another, and it's just utterly stupid to waste a year on Gagner like this, especially when we're no where near the playoffs.

[Opus]

Re: What exactly is the problem?

I'd feel a lot better about the future if we didn't have an anchor of a contract in the form of Sheldon Souray's bum shoulder for the next 5 seasons.



And similarly, if Gagner was in the CHL like he should be at this point, I'd feel a lot better about not burning one of his cheap years and exclusive years.

Gagner has certainly been spectacular for an 18 year old... but he's still an 18 year old. His Corsi number (Shots directed at the net, includes missed shots and blocked shots, minus shots directed as your own net) is well into the minuses and one of the worst among Oiler forwards, despite the fact that he's one of only 3 Oiler forwards (Gagner, Sanderson, Schremp and Pouliot) who has been on for more offensive zone faceoffs than defensive zone faceoffs.

I know to most people, stuff like this means absolutely nothing... but this is the **** that drives hockey games in one direction or another, and it's just utterly stupid to waste a year on Gagner like this, especially when we're no where near the playoffs.

I realise that some kids don't have the mental makeup and maturity to play at this level at his age. Summarily it happens that these talents become shell-shocked if you will and spoil themselves forever.

I think there are those however who have the confidence already where they won't develop as well at a lower level. These guys can improve from playing the game at an excellerated pace. perhaps Oilers mangement feel that Gagner is one of those latter talents.