Post-Game Talk: Playoff spot engaged

Yeah. Not sure why Kulak has had so much criticism. He's been pretty much the same. When we have even 6D in lineup we seem to be reversing pucks like crazy. So much of this team aside from McDrai has stemmed from our backend.
There is no question Kulak struggled for quite a while this season, and the stats during that time back it up. Could have been injury or sickness related, so am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. But the last couple games he's looked like his old self and that is very encouraging going forward. We're going to be leaning on him heavily.
 
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Yeah. Not sure why Kulak has had so much criticism. He's been pretty much the same. When we have even 6D in lineup we seem to be reversing pucks like crazy. So much of this team aside from McDrai has stemmed from our backend.
Kulak's been one of the stories of the season increasing his ice-time like 3+ minutes over last season (now even more 20:20 from 15:23) and increased quality of competition moving into the 2RD hole created in the off season. He's had a little wobble I think largely tied to Emberson hitting a wall and overplay due to the weakness of this team's 3RD spot. But Kulak's been a pretty big positive in this difficult season.

This team had been pushing big minutes for their top 5 d-men able to shelter their weak #6 with limited toi. That shifts now with their best d-man out long term. They'll need Kulak's best again in tough playoff competition.
 
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I can vouch for this. 5 is somebody who once ripped my head off for saying Nicholburger was a drunken pickled buffoon. This poster has come around full circle. We used to argue about this stuff.

Now we agree on almost everything. heh

True true lol.

I usually give people and organizations the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise, and that point has been reached.

After the decade of darkness followed by the decade of McDavid, all the Oilers management has done shoot themselves in the foot time and time and time again, making preventable unforced error after preventable unforced error. Just when you think they’re aiming right, you realize they’ve got the gun pointed at their forehead instead of down range, and you watch them blow their brains out in real time.

I’m a diehard lifelong fan of this team and that will never change. I’ll always cheer for them to succeed no matter what. And my money has been where my mouth is as I’ve been a season-ticket holder in some of the most expensive seats for decades. I love going to the rink and love watching the games.

But I’m tired of feeling like Charlie Brown when Oilers management plays Lucy and keeps pulling the ball away at the last second. I used to trust that Lucy would hold the ball but now I realize she’s just a f***ing bitch. That is Oilers management to me. A bunch of brain dead incompetent know it alls who could f*** up a free lemonade stand in midsummer on Jasper and 101st.

It’s been a litany of idiot general managers and POHO‘s and where I used to give the benefit of the doubt I am now firmly in the show me state and have developed, perhaps an unhealthy dose of scepticism and cynicism towards our management team.

I don’t know if that’s wrong and I know I’ve been venting a lot lately here where I feel it’s a safe place to do so as it’s just a bunch of fans who want the best for our team around here.

When you’re getting paid millions of dollars a year to just build a competent secondary cast with reliable goaltending and defence around the worlds best two players with the goal of winning a Stanley Cup and can’t get it across the finish line, no in fact, you make the team much worse, then I’m like Seinfeld and wave off the nonsense and leave the theatre.

I know it sounds like a bunch of negative bullshit and maybe it is but that’s where my mindset is right now. I feel frustrated for the players and want nothing for the best for each of them, but I have nothing but disdain for our front office, management, scouts, player development, and especially our goalie coach who I used to also give the benefit of the doubt to and support much to my chagrin around these parts.
 
Such disappointing news about Ekholm…

Hate to say it, but the best thing for this team might be an early exit and a long off season to recover their numerous injuries. I just don’t see this roster going far unless McDavid and Draisaitl go nuclear and carry this team even more than they already do

Hopefully Bowman stops trading for injured players and does a better job than JJ in free agency

Hopefully he is fired before he gets the chance to do anything else.
 
Kulak is apparently loving the higher TOI.
There is no need to win any of the next 3 games so hopefully they just play all pairings equally and not tire anyone out
Losing Ekholm would suck, but at least they got Wahlman and Kulak who can fill in the top 4. But overall, I feel this is not the Oilers' year. Too much turmoil this year with poor play and injuries.
 
There's credible reporting coming out that the medical staff was adamant about Frederic not being ready, but was overruled by management, coaches, and player. That's organization failure. And what's to say it didn't happen with Drai and Ekh?
players often lie about being ready when they are not.
 
True true lol.

I usually give people and organizations the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise, and that point has been reached.

After the decade of darkness followed by the decade of McDavid, all the Oilers management has done shoot themselves in the foot time and time and time again, making preventable unforced error after preventable unforced error. Just when you think they’re aiming right, you realize they’ve got the gun pointed at their forehead instead of down range, and you watch them blow their brains out in real time.

I’m a diehard lifelong fan of this team and that will never change. I’ll always cheer for them to succeed no matter what. And my money has been where my mouth is as I’ve been a season-ticket holder in some of the most expensive seats for decades. I love going to the rink and love watching the games.

But I’m tired of feeling like Charlie Brown when Oilers management plays Lucy and keeps pulling the ball away at the last second. I used to trust that Lucy would hold the ball but now I realize she’s just a f***ing bitch. That is Oilers management to me. A bunch of brain dead incompetent know it alls who could f*** up a free lemonade stand in midsummer on Jasper and 101st.

It’s been a litany of idiot general managers and POHO‘s and where I used to give the benefit of the doubt I am now firmly in the show me state and have developed, perhaps an unhealthy dose of scepticism and cynicism towards our management team.

I don’t know if that’s wrong and I know I’ve been venting a lot lately here where I feel it’s a safe place to do so as it’s just a bunch of fans who want the best for our team around here.

When you’re getting paid millions of dollars a year to just build a competent secondary cast with reliable goaltending and defence around the worlds best two players with the goal of winning a Stanley Cup and can’t get it across the finish line, no in fact, you make the team much worse, then I’m like Seinfeld and wave off the nonsense and leave the theatre.

I know it sounds like a bunch of negative bullshit and maybe it is but that’s where my mindset is right now. I feel frustrated for the players and want nothing for the best for each of them, but I have nothing but disdain for our front office, management, scouts, player development, and especially our goalie coach who I used to also give the benefit of the doubt to and support much to my chagrin around these parts.
Beautifully said, dude. Oilers management are pathetic. If the team doesn't go far in the playoffs there need to be a ton of firings for the fanbase to trust this lot again.

It honestly feels like ol' Six Rings and his clownshow are still running things.
 
Beautifully said, dude. Oilers management are pathetic. If the team doesn't go far in the playoffs there need to be a ton of firings for the fanbase to trust this lot again.

It honestly feels like ol' Six Rings and his clownshow are still running things.

Kevin Lowe was a better GM than what we've seen the past few years. He actually worked his ass off to build that 2006 team. He may be a pompous ass but give him McDavid and Draisaitl to start with and he'd probably have won a Cup with that to work with already.
 
Damn, that Ekholm news is a punch in the gut. I think he's their most valuable player even moreso than McDavid or Draisaitl because at least we have another elite guy if one of those two go down. Without Ekholm, the defense is massively different and with likely the worst goaltending of the playoff teams you need a solid defense in front to compensate and a lot of that will be on the shelf with Ekholm. I'll still watch and cheer as always and hope but my expectations are cooked now, sorry but this is a massive blow for the Oilers.
 
Hopefully he is fired before he gets the chance to do anything else.
The Frederic trade alone should be grounds for firing, nevermind the utter incompetence with the Holloway and Broberg situation which JJ and Bowman to a lesser extent should absolutely own not to mention completely ignoring the goaltending problem.

Of course this all changes if the Oilers win a Cup this season but lets be honest, that's just extremely unlikely to happen. Just more management incompetence with this organization somehow finding a way through three different regimes now to fumble the massive McDrai gift that they were handled.
 
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Not sounding good for Eckholm…might be season ending.

Going on my management rant:

The mistakes by Bowman and Jackson keep multiplying. Not re-signing Broberg is looking even worse now. Bowman was aware of Ekholm’s injury. Why did he not just shut him down for the year prior to the deadline freeing up more space? Frederic deal, in which assets were given up for Frederic and retention- may not play for Oilers again this season. Maybe Walman was traded for because Bowman knew his injury status- well - he makes slightly less than Broberg, is older, and only has one year left on his contract. Let’s not even talk about Klingberg and paying home 1.7M

All the good the oilers did last spring- one could argue having a team that took a decade of pain to build- regressed 3 years due to the mismanagement of Jeff Jackson and Stan Bowman. Instead of adding to a team that went to the finals- they decided to take it apart and make it worse. These two clowns should be fired
 
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Going on my management rant:

The mistakes by Bowman and Jackson keep multiplying. Not re-signing Broberg is looking even worse now. Bowman was aware of Ekholm’s injury. Why did he not just shut him down for the year prior to the deadline freeing up more space? Frederic deal, in which assets were given up for Frederic and retention- may not play for Oilers again this season. Maybe Walman was traded for because Bowman knew his injury status- well - he makes slightly less than Broberg, is older, and only has one year left on his contract. Let’s not even talk about Klingberg and paying home 1.7M

All the good the oilers did last spring- one could argue having a team that took decades of pain to build- regressed 3 years due to the mismanagement of Jeff Jackson and Stan Bowman. Instead of adding to a team that went to the finals- they decided to take it apart and make it worse. These two clowns should be fired
Yeah, they should’ve signed broberg for 3x his worth knowing that Ekholm would injure himself later in the year
 
(Reposted from my r/EdmontonOilers account)

No Viking is a big blow, but two things that I like this year:

1. Previous experience.

This is the first time in my lifetime that the Oilers have made it back to the playoffs after losing the SCF the year before. You know they're not going to take it for granted. Speaking of which...

2. Underdog / adversity mindset.

For whatever reason, this team always seems to do better when they're being written off than when they're being praised. Just this year alone...their dysfunctional stretch really started when they beat Buffalo for the division lead oh so briefly.

And then two years ago when Ek first arrived, they ended the regular season on an absolute heater...only to have a meh series with the Kings and get embarrassed by Vegas.

I think these circumstances will give them a much more serious outlook instead of the happy-to-be-here / MarioKart road trip vibe that distracted them in the SCF.
 
True true lol.

I usually give people and organizations the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise, and that point has been reached.

After the decade of darkness followed by the decade of McDavid, all the Oilers management has done shoot themselves in the foot time and time and time again, making preventable unforced error after preventable unforced error. Just when you think they’re aiming right, you realize they’ve got the gun pointed at their forehead instead of down range, and you watch them blow their brains out in real time.

I’m a diehard lifelong fan of this team and that will never change. I’ll always cheer for them to succeed no matter what. And my money has been where my mouth is as I’ve been a season-ticket holder in some of the most expensive seats for decades. I love going to the rink and love watching the games.

But I’m tired of feeling like Charlie Brown when Oilers management plays Lucy and keeps pulling the ball away at the last second. I used to trust that Lucy would hold the ball but now I realize she’s just a f***ing bitch. That is Oilers management to me. A bunch of brain dead incompetent know it alls who could f*** up a free lemonade stand in midsummer on Jasper and 101st.

It’s been a litany of idiot general managers and POHO‘s and where I used to give the benefit of the doubt I am now firmly in the show me state and have developed, perhaps an unhealthy dose of scepticism and cynicism towards our management team.

I don’t know if that’s wrong and I know I’ve been venting a lot lately here where I feel it’s a safe place to do so as it’s just a bunch of fans who want the best for our team around here.

When you’re getting paid millions of dollars a year to just build a competent secondary cast with reliable goaltending and defence around the worlds best two players with the goal of winning a Stanley Cup and can’t get it across the finish line, no in fact, you make the team much worse, then I’m like Seinfeld and wave off the nonsense and leave the theatre.

I know it sounds like a bunch of negative bullshit and maybe it is but that’s where my mindset is right now. I feel frustrated for the players and want nothing for the best for each of them, but I have nothing but disdain for our front office, management, scouts, player development, and especially our goalie coach who I used to also give the benefit of the doubt to and support much to my chagrin around these parts.
Soon as the org was hiring dolts like Eakins, Chiarelli, Nicholson, even past it Pat Quinn I knew it was done for awhile. But even before that the Lowe two tiers fan and "6rings" comments left me underwhelmed by this org. Signposts on a highway to me. Now you're in the fastlane. Its all good. I was just ribbing and glad we see eye to eye on a lot of stuff.
 
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Soon as the org was hiring dolts like Eakins, Chiarelli, Nicholson, even past it Pat Quinn I knew it was done for awhile. But even before that the Lowe two tiers fan sand "6rings" comments left me underwhelmed by this org. Signposts on a highway to me. Now you're in the fastlane. Its all good. I was just ribbing and glad we see eye to eye on a lot of stuff.
Arrogance permeates throughout the org. "We know what's best" has been the motto since the Shane Doan draft. Whenever one of the big dogs f***s up big time (Lowe, Nicholson, et al), they're simply shuffled elsewhere in the org and collect a paycheque. If this season ends up without a Cup they'll find an easy scapegoat (probably the goalie or coach).
 
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