Is MacT getting too much of the blame?

[StoveTopStauffer]

Just think about how awful our defense is going to be next year with Petry gone and likely no replacements.

But MacT probably plans to sign Boychuk for 7m x 7 right? RIGHT?!?!?!

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

But MacT probably plans to sign Boychuk for 7m x 7 right? RIGHT?!?!?!

I long for the day when we can seriously talk about signing good players without having to use loads of sarcasm.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

I long for the day when we can seriously talk about signing good players without having to use loads of sarcasm.

It's a sad day when I wish we had Garth Snow for a GM over any management we've ever had in the last decade.

 

[oobga]

MacT completely halted and put the rebuild in reverse with his Eakins hiring. Yes, he deserves a huge amount of the blame. People look at the Oilers and see a team now that can't even get it together years after 3 1st overall picks. We look like a black hole at the point to anyone that wants to actually win something.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

It's a sad day when I wish we had Garth Snow for a GM over any management we've ever had in the last decade.

I'm starting to miss the Tambo days.

Heck I'm even considering the possibility of Milbury being GM, or Harold Ballard as our owner.

 

[PaPaDee]

MacT deserves all the criticism he's receiving. I don't think he's 100% responsible, as I believe Lowe also holds a lot of the blame. But what positive moves has MacT made since he became GM? I can think of very few - the one good one (trading for Perron) was all undone this year anyways.

Let's take a look at this organizations moves (these are not in chronoligcal order):

-After missing the playoffs, Lowe decides it's time to fire Tambellini. This is a highly critical time period for the rebuilding club - they just showed a lot of improvement in their most recent season, and with the right leadership they seem poised to take that next step. Lowe's decision? Let's hire his old buddy MacT - somebody with zero GM experience, with a few months of experience as an advisor/consultant with the Oilers. Nepotisim at it's finest. In my opinion, this move may have ruined the entired rebuild effort.
-MacT indicates he's going to be bold and make moves to improve the club; which while it did get him some love from the fans, I believe may have made it difficult for him to make trades with other GM's. Rookie GM mistake.
-MacT shoots off his mouth and says it's time for Horcoff and Hemsky to move on, and ultimiately I believe, hurts the trade value for both. Horcoff is moved for nothing, and Hemsky is finally moved much later for late picks.
-MacT's first big move is to fire Ralph Kreuger (who had just led the Oilers to their best season in a few years) and brings in Dallas Eakins as his choice to lead the Oilers. Dallas has zero NHL head coaching experience, is arrogant and believes he's the smartest guy in the room. Sounds familiar? Another horrible hire, for a team that needed experience and guidance for their young core of players.
-Signs an aging Andrew Ference to a bloated contract, with a NTC
-Trades for Perron: although this was seen as a good trade at the time, there were some issues with it as well. Added another winger to our glut of wingers, and added a player with a similar skill set compared to our other wingers.
-Trades Gagner for yet another winger with a bloated contract
-Fails to provide solid NHL centers
-Signs Nikitin, Pouliot & Fayne to bloated contracts
-Makes a debacle out of the goaltending situation, and single handedly almost ruins Dubnyks career. Replaces Dubnyk with lesser goalies.
-Refuses to admit a mistake in Eakins hiring, and only fires him after he's forced to from above
-Totally botches Petry's situation (calls him out, 1 year contract and trades him for next to nothing).

Probably plenty of other things as well, but this is what came to mind.

 

[Gord]

MacT deserves much of the blame he is getting, but I still like him better then Tambellini.

agreed.

I like MacT as a personality, but the Oilers needed an experienced GM and didn't get one.

 

[Replacement*]

Why, why, this thread. Make it disappear.

How could there be any doubt about how much fault or blame MacT is getting?

 

[McJadeddog]

Why, why, this thread. Make it disappear.

How could there be any doubt about how much fault or blame MacT is getting?

exactly.... he deserves all he is getting, if not more

worst GM in the league, without any doubt

 

[sportsdynasty]

exactly.... he deserves all he is getting, if not more

worst GM in the league, without any doubt

MacT has made the team worse off since he became GM and spent to the cap. Lowe and MacT should have been fired many years ago for being incompetent at their jobs. Instead, they were promoted. It's the most poorly run professional franchise in all of professional sports. An Oiler draft pick isn't gonna turn things around.

 

[missinthejets]

The Eakins move was the worst thing to happen to the Oilers in a long time and that's saying something. That all falls on McTavish. Since then he hasn't done any better in the asset management department than Tambellini did. He's done an OK job getting more draft picks and prospects in the system so he gets a + for that, and he has added some OK veterans to the team so + for that, but the value coming in for outgoing players is still not good enough and the veterans coming in might be better than what Tambo did but it's still not good enough. He just hasn't been able to make good enough moves in a timely manner. Couple that with his absolutely disastrous coaching move he's shown he's not good enough.

 

[Tekneek]

In comparison, at least MacT moved Petry for what he could get instead of falling into the previous Oilers trap of signing the overvalued player to a ridiculous contract. Lowe would have surely done that.

They must decide if they are going to build a complementary roster around the young core or start breaking them up for players that will complement the ones they keep. There is absolutely no point in holding onto them dearly while sucking until they leave for nothing via UFA.

 

[THall4]

No. This idiot goes around tooting air from his @$$...with "bold moves" talks and what not.

Him and his enitre team of managers have no clue what they are doing.

 

[FlameChampion]

I think if he didnt hire Eakins he wouldnt look nearly as bad.

But fact that (at least from what we have heard is) he didnt even interview anyone else, is pretty meh.

That coaching decision alone, cost the development of the Team 2 years...

 

[Tekneek]

I'm starting to miss the Tambo days.

Never. Tambo is the architect of this horrible rebuild.

 

[Tarus]

Never. Tambo is the architect of this horrible rebuild.

Nah, Lowe was

He wanted a rebuild even back in 2007, and Tambo never had the clout to ask Katz to sacrifice 10s of millions in playoff revenue and make the negotiations for the new arena more difficult.

Tambo is pretty clearly the fall guy at this point.

 

[Nunymare]

I'm starting to miss the Tambo days.

Heck I'm even considering the possibility of Milbury being GM, or Harold Ballard as our owner.

And this is when you realize that you need a break from the team for your own good.

 

[Tekneek]

Nah, Lowe was

He wanted a rebuild even back in 2007, and Tambo never had the clout to ask Katz to sacrifice 10s of millions in playoff revenue and make the negotiations for the new arena more difficult.

Tambo is pretty clearly the fall guy at this point.

So, they hired Tambo and Lowe pulled the strings? I guess, but I'm not sure the evidence exists for that. Lowe was always willing to trade everything for an 8th place finish to squeak into the playoffs year after year. Honestly, I would have rather had that for the past 8 years, actually.

 

[Tarus]

So, they hired Tambo and Lowe pulled the strings? I guess, but I'm not sure the evidence exists for that. Lowe was always willing to trade everything for an 8th place finish to squeak into the playoffs year after year. Honestly, I would have rather had that for the past 8 years, actually.

Oh no, Tambo wasn't a puppet, he was more the contractor to Lowe's architectural oversight.

He did his job, gutted the team, dumped contracts, and picked first. The second the team started to look a bit better, he was dumped himself so Lowe could bring in his buddy to look like a genius.

 

[Tekneek]

Oh no, Tambo wasn't a puppet, he was more the contractor to Lowe's architectural oversight.

Why did Lowe change his mindset from doing everything to squeak into the playoffs and adopt a complete rebuild? It goes against his demonstrated record. The only difference is ownership, so perhaps Katz ordered it? At the time, a lot of people seemed happy about the rebuild and frustrated with Lowe trying to sell the farm each year in a desperate bid to barely make the playoffs.

 

[Quality Oil]

Hiring Eakins with very few legitimate coaching interviews was a pretty amateur move. He continues to fall short or mishandle situations and quickly finds a scapegoat thereafter.

I bet GMs around the league are lining up to fleece him when things continue to go poorly for the Oilers.

 

[Tekneek]

I bet GMs around the league are lining up to fleece him when things continue to go poorly for the Oilers.

Of course. It has been public knowledge for some time that the entire league is actively trying to fleece the Oilers. They're going to keep doing it, too. Somebody, either MacT or his successor, is going to be tasked with breaking up this young core if he cannot figure out how to build a winning roster around them.

 

[Tarus]

Why did Lowe change his mindset from doing everything to squeak into the playoffs and adopt a complete rebuild? It goes against his demonstrated record. The only difference is ownership, so perhaps Katz ordered it? At the time, a lot of people seemed happy about the rebuild and frustrated with Lowe trying to sell the farm each year in a desperate bid to barely make the playoffs.

It was definitely the ownerships. EIG was pushing for the 2007 offersheets/signings(in response to Katz claiming EIG was cheap), Katz was responible for the runs at Hossa(first attempt at a big splash), Heatley(second attempt).

If you don't remember the turbulent end of the 2007 season, Lowe was all aboard the rebuild train before being derailed by EIG's attempt to save face. Hyping up draft picks, claiming it was going to be a long haul retool, the whole shebang. The rhetoric that was present 2007 was nearly identical what Katz/Tambo presented in 2010 when things went sour, and is again very similar to what's going on with Mact and his focus on rebuilding from within with draft picks speech today.

 

[Jumptheshark]

A rule I have and this is not just my rule--but when GM blatantly starts lying to the fan base it is time for him to go

 

[Tekneek]

A rule I have and this is not just my rule--but when GM blatantly starts lying to the fan base it is time for him to go

I suspect virtually every GM in the league does it and always have. They are not going to show their cards to the fan base, no matter how entitled the fans might feel.