Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | Where's The Beef?

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

Lowe had hits and misses, leader of the OBC though and pissed off fans. He screwed up with Comrie and didn't shop Pronger properly.

MacT was worse, he brought in Eakins. He also brought in McCellan but had to mentor him to pad his own stats. Players didn't want to play for them and good execs didn't want to work for them as they held unto too many strings.

There is only one reason this team has legitimacy and it was winning the lottery.

Using "didn't shop Pronger properly" as a gotcha for Lowe is some crazy work not gonna lie. He was the one who robbed St. Louis for Pronger in the first place and even if you view it as Brewer-Woywitka-Lynch for Lupul-Smid-Nash-Eberle, we still walked out of that net transaction like bandits. Lowe had his issues in terms of people skills like the Comrie fiasco and just general mistreatment of players but the reality is that he got this team to Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Finals with a team that constantly handcuffed him financially and without 2 of the best players in NHL history to start. A younger, less arrogant, 2002-2006 era Kevin Lowe probably wins us a Cup with McDrai.

 

[timekeep]

MacT drafted Drai and Nurse. Traded for Perron and yes should have chosen Todd N over Eakins. He wasn’t great but he was ok and definitely outshines Tambellini and Chiarelli, flat out.

Drai was an easy pick, Nurse was a good pick too but that draft was loaded. Yup, he was OK but nothing special. Tambo was Lowes puppet and Chia didn't have much freedom either. None of them helped this team rebuild.

 

[timekeep]

Using "didn't shop Pronger properly" as a gotcha for Lowe is some crazy work not gonna lie. He was the one who robbed St. Louis for Pronger in the first place and even if you view it as Brewer-Woywitka-Lynch for Lupul-Smid-Nash-Eberle, we still walked out of that net transaction like bandits. Lowe had his issues in terms of people skills like the Comrie fiasco and just general mistreatment of players but the reality is that he got this team to Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Finals with a team that constantly handcuffed him financially and without 2 of the best players in NHL history to start. A younger, less arrogant, 2002-2006 era Kevin Lowe probably wins us a Cup with McDrai.

Sorry after that year, I'll give you he made the moves to get Pronger, Peca and Spacek. He built a deep and tough team but that was his Apex. He sucked after that and kept his hands in the team for to long. When other GMs said they didn't know Pronger was available that was a fail. Should he kept Smyth, I don't know, they both could have bent there.

 

[Shanahanigans]

Bob Stauffer says he doesn't know when Evander Kane will return or if he will return this season after his new surgery.

I'm not sure people grasp how badly he was injured. He needed surgery to repair both hip abductors, two hernias, and two abdominal muscle tears. Pure speculation on my part but I really do think his playing career could be in jeopardy here, there's no easy way to return from those injuries at 33-34, especially with the hard miles Kane has logged in this league.

 

[oilers4life5]

So did Kane get another surgery or not?

 

[foshizzle]

I'm not sure people grasp how badly he was injured. He needed surgery to repair both hip abductors, two hernias, and two abdominal muscle tears. Pure speculation on my part but I really do think his playing career could be in jeopardy here, there's no easy way to return from those injuries at 33-34, especially with the hard miles Kane has logged in this league.

First, hope for a full recovery for Kane. There is life after hockey to worry about.

Second- Holland should have IR’d him last year and used that cap space to add. Would have been the difference. I know Kane has to agree- but all they would have to do is get him to take a medical which he would have failed

 

[alphahelix]

Sorry after that year, I'll give you he made the moves to get Pronger, Peca and Spacek. He built a deep and tough team but that was his Apex. He sucked after that and kept his hands in the team for to long. When other GMs said they didn't know Pronger was available that was a fail. Should he kept Smyth, I don't know, they both could have bent there.

What about like Samsonov and Roloson .. and… its a long list actually

So did Kane get another surgery or not?

Ya, what the hell are people talking about, eh?

 

[McHelpus]

It's the Oilers. If news is coming out that Kane will miss the entire season, he will randomly show up next practice saying he's good to go.

 

[McDoused]

Emberson sign yet?

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Drai was an easy pick, Nurse was a good pick too but that draft was loaded. Yup, he was OK but nothing special. Tambo was Lowes puppet and Chia didn't have much freedom either. None of them helped this team rebuild.

I don’t know about that. Spooner for Strome, traded for what’s his nuts who broke McDavid’s collar bone, the Koskinen contract, and to top it off, the Hall trade (and return). If anything, Chiarelli had too much freedom and set the team back after being brought in when the Oilers landed the McDavid lottery.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

I don’t know about that. Spooner for Strome, traded for what’s his nuts who broke McDavid’s collar bone, the Koskinen contract, and to top it off, the Hall trade (and return). If anything, Chiarelli had too much freedom and set the team back after being brought in when the Oilers landed the McDavid lottery.

Yeah Stauffer reported multiple times that Chiarelli famously made all the decisions himself without any sort of committee or other voices in the room. He was hyper independent and the rest of the front office was out of the loop with his transactions.

 

[Fishy McScales]

Yeah Stauffer reported multiple times that Chiarelli famously made all the decisions himself without any sort of committee or other voices in the room. He was hyper independent and the rest of the front office was out of the loop with his transactions.

Chiarelli dealt with Neely's backseat driving and meddling in Boston, getting pushed around a lot by the looks of it. Eventually he got fired.

In Edmonton, the Oilers just won the McLottery and were starving for a GM with any sort of credentials and gave him free reins.

Chiarelli strikes me as conflict averse and a poor negotiator, so it's like he was trying to prove he wasn't afraid to do stuff that might be controversial. Signing Kassian (which did work out well, granted) or that completely inane Manning trade (not just because of the history with McDavid, but just him being a #7 D at like 2.5M, ouch).

Towards the end of his tenure Chiarelli had completely lost the plot. The Eberle for Strome for Spooner fiasco, the aforementioned Manning trade, the Alex Petrovic trade, the Koskinen signing etc.

 

[foshizzle]

Yeah Stauffer reported multiple times that Chiarelli famously made all the decisions himself without any sort of committee or other voices in the room. He was hyper independent and the rest of the front office was out of the loop with his transactions.

Chiarelli also didn’t move to Edmonton and, according to Gazzola, would sit in a corner away from everyone when he did attend games

 

[oilers4life5]

I hated him so much. He killed part of the McD era with his incompetence.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Drai was an easy pick, Nurse was a good pick too but that draft was loaded. Yup, he was OK but nothing special. Tambo was Lowes puppet and Chia didn't have much freedom either. None of them helped this team rebuild.

Drai was such an easy pick that you had oilers fans angry and posting on the flames board congratulating them on getting Bennett over Draisaitl

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Drai was such an easy pick that you had oilers fans angry and posting on the flames board congratulating them on getting Bennett over Draisaitl

Yup. I wanted Drai but I was in the minority here.

 

[McDoused]

Drai was such an easy pick that you had oilers fans angry and posting on the flames board congratulating them on getting Bennett over Draisaitl

Draisaitl wasn't an easy pick. He was the big center that everyone wanted but he had cement for boots and rarely used his shot.

 

[Mr Positive]

Yup. I wanted Drai but I was in the minority here.

I was the same way but Drai and Bennett were definitely neck and neck in status. I give MacT full credit. Also even if it is a slam dunk I will give a GM credit for making an easy call after years of GMs screwing up easy moves

 

[McDoused]

Also with the Nurse pick I wanted the big power forward in Nichushkin while we were reportedly heavily interested in Bo Horvat. I don't think it was an obvious pick and just glad we didn't pick Ristolainen or Morin.

 

[FlameChampion]

Draisaitl wasn't an easy pick. He was the big center that everyone wanted but he had cement for boots and rarely used his shot.

Didn’t TSN give him a 3/5 shot haha. Dudes progression has been crazy.

I remember watching when he got drafted… Draisaitl looked so thick for a prospect. Only other guy who I remember being similar was Svechnikov. Guy looked like he was 25.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

I was the same way but Drai and Bennett were definitely neck and neck in status. I give MacT full credit. Also even if it is a slam dunk I will give a GM credit for making an easy call after years of GMs screwing up easy moves

I felt that Drai was on another level but I was definitely in the minority both with scouts and posters here. I must say that I never saw him as a future 50 goal and borderline generational guy though.

 

[Mr Positive]

I felt that Drai was on another level but I was definitely in the minority both with scouts and posters here. I must say that I never saw him as a future 50 goal and borderline generational guy though.

Part of that is that I feel that MacT handled Drai's development perfectly. A lot of people criticized him for keeping Drai up for half a season instead of sending him down early, but that stint really informed Drai on what his glaring weaknesses were. Also, it gave time for MacT to force Prince Albert to trade his rights to Kelowna. That was a perfect place for him to develop because it allowed for him to compete with amazing teammates and go on a long playoff run. I followed that Kelowna team and Drai was basically developing before our eyes on that team.

 

[K1984]

I felt that Drai was on another level but I was definitely in the minority both with scouts and posters here. I must say that I never saw him as a future 50 goal and borderline generational guy though.

I thought he would cap out at a solid 2 way guy that might get to 70 points. Never saw this at all.

Just going off memory, but I feel like most people here wanted Bennett. Could be wrong though.

 

[belair]

I thought he would cap out at a solid 2 way guy that might get to 70 points. Never saw this at all.

Just going off memory, but I feel like most people here wanted Bennett. Could be wrong though.

There was a lot of hope that we'd end up with Ekblad. Some liked Bennett. I was never a big fan. Though, to be fair, I thought Dal Colle was going to be a very good winger based on his play that year.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

Yup. I wanted Drai but I was in the minority here.

At the time Bennett was the #2 ranked prospect while Draisaitl was fighting for 4th/5th with Dal Colle from ISS, Central Scouting, The Hockey News, Bob McKenzie's list, and even this site when it still ranked prospects lol. In hindsight when you actually read the scouting report contents it blows your mind how the big center who was strong on the puck and was considered the highest hockey iq player/best passer in the draft wasn't the consensus 1st overall pick, in an era where players like Joe Thornton and Anze Kopitar were considered the prototype modern NHL center. There was always some weird justification like Draisaitl's skating being weird (which turned out to be an overblown concern) or being lazy (probably just looked that way due to his slow, methodical playstyle).

Part of that is that I feel that MacT handled Drai's development perfectly. A lot of people criticized him for keeping Drai up for half a season instead of sending him down early, but that stint really informed Drai on what his glaring weaknesses were. Also, it gave time for MacT to force Prince Albert to trade his rights to Kelowna. That was a perfect place for him to develop because it allowed for him to compete with amazing teammates and go on a long playoff run. I followed that Kelowna team and Drai was basically developing before our eyes on that team.

Honestly, I was worried about Draisaitl's development until the Memorial Cup happened. The Oilers had a long history of rushing players and poor development at that time. Funnily enough, MacT burning Draisaitl's ELC possibly saved us some cap space too, because he would've likely costed a whole lot more after back to back 70 point seasons.