Post-Game Talk: Sens 4 Oilers 3

[KarmaPolice]

If I had offers from 2 or 3 other teams I think I could make a better choice in terms of my career. Don't get me wrong. I've lived in Edmonton for 30 years. I think it's a beautiful city, but I don't think I would want get involved with this franchise if other teams were interested.

Yeah, I agree. The managerial web is too menacingly pervasive for the Oilers to look like a promising place to play out my career and try to win a Stanley Cup--that's what it's about, after all (well, and the millions of dollars...and the ladies). I just wouldn't have faith with the current Oiler management that they could build a winner.

 

[tinfish]

Yeah, they didn't think the rebuild through very well. When they had 1st overall picks and the clear choice was a forward, as in Halls case, then I would've picked defensemen with every other pick we had. Same for next season. This team didn't focus enough on defense with their scouting and drafting. They did pick a couple good players in Marincin and Klefbom, but they refuse to play them! Go figure.

Kinda off topic, but I would have picked Seguin, Nuge, Murray. Easy to say with hindsight, and i do love Hall as much as anyone, but to take 2 wingers out of 3 1st overall picks was a colossal mistake. No intelligent management would even consider that.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Kinda off topic, but I would have picked Seguin, Nuge, Murray. Easy to say with hindsight, and i do love Hall as much as anyone, but to take 2 wingers out of 3 1st overall picks was a colossal mistake. No intelligent management would even consider that.

Seguin is looking soooo good right now. It's hard to resist taking him over Hall with hindsight, even if Hall is damn good himself. You can't lose with either, really. They were the class of the draft.
But I would still take Hall.

However, I definitely would've picked Murray over Yakupov. Don't get me wrong: I like Yakupov and think he's going to be a great player for a long time and score many goals. But drafting a winger when we had Eberle and Hall scoring tons of points on the wings was a mistake, IMO. Murray would've filled a much bigger organizational need, and he was pretty much ready to play in the NHL. Of course, there might be a couple other Dman taken in the first round that will be even better, but they weren't ranked as high, so it's not really fair to include them. That's giving too much power to hindsight. But Murray was the #1 choice according to some respected hockey people. I think it would've been the right choice. Having too many defenseman is NEVER a bad thing. It's like having an embarrassment of riches. But too many wingers is not even close to being the same. They just don't hold the same value as young top 4 D and centerman.

 

[Spawn]

Seguin is looking soooo good right now. It's hard to resist taking him over Hall with hindsight, even if Hall is damn good himself. You can't lose with either, really. They were the class of the draft.

This current season is the only season of his career that Seguin has been ahead of hall in points per game and Hall has more career points in fewer career games.

It's an easy thing to say when Seguin is on one of his crazy hot streaks and Hall is injured for a couple of weeks. This sort of thing seems to get said every year or so when Seguin gets off to some crazy start and then Hall spends the remainder of the year quietly closing the gap, and often surpassing Seguin.

If by hindsight you mean the hindsight of only the first 16 games of the season.... then yeah, I guess so. He doesn't even have the center argument going for him. He's been on the wing with Spezza the majority of this season.

 

[Wheathead]

Management, or lack thereof, is probably the reason why Lowe just hires his friends. I bet you that no experienced NHL GM or coach worth their salt wants to work under the the ringmaster of **** circus, Kevin Lowe.

Man, what other franchise can miss the playoffs for 8, going to be 9 years+ and keep the same man in charge?

Lowe burned a lot of bridges with that drunken rant agains Burke.

 

[OilTastic]

^and how many times over the years have we had to watch the Oilers get blown out early, then claw their way back only to lose it in OT or the shootout? and man, enough of the yearly crappy goaltending! MacT: do your job and at least try to sign a top goalie instead of watching them sign in Vancouver or Calgary! man they even draft goalies that are the same as what we have....mediocre. adding Nagelvoort and Bouchard to the system is more of the same mid to late round mediocre CRAP that Stu and the boys love to take!

 

[AJGass4]

Seguin has always been surrounded by good vets, Hall and co. have not.

I would have never picked Seguin over Hall and I still wouldn't. Hall is a beast and Seguin is a primadona.

 

[oobga]

Scrivens is a very mediocre goalie. Largely to blame for the loss. But giving up 17 shots and 3 goals (only one which was bad) in the first period is an indication of a bad team. Not just a bad goalie.

Yeah, can't believe people are still willing to give the Oilers a pass for being completely unprepared yet again for a game. How many times have we laid an egg in the last year in the 1st and only started to look good after we're down badly?

If Scrivens didn't let in all 3 of those goals we probably would have continued to play like crap in the 2nd until Ottawa finally got that 3rd one. So often the Oilers need the game to seem out of reach before they start to play (which is assisted by the other team sitting back which Ottawa has been guilty of a lot this year just leaving their goalie out to dry like we do with a lead). It's a serious problem and the Oilers really don't deserve the vote of confidence they're getting by people saying it was ONLY the goalie that lost and everything else says they should have won.

 

[dhawken]

Seguin has always been surrounded by good vets, Hall and co. have not.

I would have never picked Seguin over Hall and I still wouldn't. Hall is a beast and Seguin is a primadona.

Amen. Hall is definitely a beast. Whatever Seguin is today, he would not be that had the Oilers drafted him. This comparison is ridiculous. Had we chosen Seguin, he'd be a basket case by now on the current Oilers while the Bs would have taken Hall and he'd be getting 40g a year there. We'd be *****ing the other way, only moreso.

There is no way Seguin can be considered the better pick when Hall has been with the Oilers and Seguin has had the environment he's had and Hall is still better.

 

[mactforcoach]

Yeah, can't believe people are still willing to give the Oilers a pass for being completely unprepared yet again for a game. How many times have we laid an egg in the last year in the 1st and only started to look good after we're down badly?

If Scrivens didn't let in all 3 of those goals we probably would have continued to play like crap in the 2nd until Ottawa finally got that 3rd one. So often the Oilers need the game to seem out of reach before they start to play (which is assisted by the other team sitting back which Ottawa has been guilty of a lot this year just leaving their goalie out to dry like we do with a lead). It's a serious problem and the Oilers really don't deserve the vote of confidence they're getting by people saying it was ONLY the goalie that lost and everything else says they should have won.

Agree 100%. Time after time the Oilers go into a game half asleep. By the time they wake up they're down 2 or 3 goals and spend the rest of the night trying to claw back for a tie. When are they going to come out on fire, score the first goal (2 would be nice) and play a simple structured game from there?

It was discussed a lot last night after the game. Rob Brown was saying it's up to the players to be motivated. Others believe it's up to the coaches to make sure. In my field of work I see a lot of young workers, crews, etc. I'm a firm believer that the leader, coach, manager is responsible for preparing them each and everyday for the task at hand. It sounds like Eakins told the team they were going to be tired and worn out from the travel, just play thru it. Not my idea of a way to motivate men.

 

[dustrock]

So after New Jersey, do we even play an Eastern team until the New Year?

I don't think people realize how ugly December is going to get. This was the easy part of the schedule.

 

[McspOiler]

I really hope the stick gallon a different line from nuge. Nuge is better when he carries the puck and holds it more. Hall is amazing but he is a bit of a puck hog which limits nuge.

 

[rboomercat90]

I think it's also become obvious that this management group is terrible at evaluating talent. Not to mention making some incredibly bone-headed decisions that I think any management group from other teams would laugh at. Bring back Grebeshkov (AKA Garbagekov) last season was one of them. Talent evaluation is clearly not up to par.

It's been unquestionably obvious since 2007 that this management team can't judge talent. Those contracts they started handing out after the cup run proved that.

There were also plenty of red flags previous to that as well. How many times in the early 2000's did we hear either Lowe or Mactavish, when the team was struggling, tell the media they may have overvalued their players. It happened every year. Amazing those two idiots are still making a living in the NHL so many years later with the record they have.

 

[Replacement*]

So after New Jersey, do we even play an Eastern team until the New Year?

I don't think people realize how ugly December is going to get. This was the easy part of the schedule.

Been saying this for awhile. December is where it starts to get interesting. Winnipeg has had a similar schedule where their early opponents are easy and the schedule gets far worse.

Theres always going to be burps in the Oilers early season schedule due to the long rodeo road trip. The Oilers like that configuration anyway because they figure it creates bonding early in the year. It can also create "man what did I get myself in for signing with this org"

Purcell has already checked out, pouliot has played with the idea until being thrust into the spotlight, Perron hasn't been the same, Joensuu is again regressing, similar with Arcobello, Nikitin never checked in.

Trouble is not only the games get worse but we're going to be seeing more passengers.

 

[Replacement*]

It's been unquestionably obvious since 2007 that this management team can't judge talent. Those contracts they started handing out after the cup run proved that.

There were also plenty of red flags previous to that as well. How many times in the early 2000's did we hear either Lowe or Mactavish, when the team was struggling, tell the media they may have overvalued their players. It happened every year. Amazing those two idiots are still making a living in the NHL so many years later with the record they have.

This is the common curse of early success that it can often lead to poor work habits. An org that had fantastic gloried years can ride that glory for decades not really needing to do anything significant for a longtime after. Orgs that have had early success and a breakthrough in their market can often become staid and dysfunctional later on. There becomes this notion ingrained that the execs are better than anyone else and know more. That they have secret knowledge. You see this notion often with Lowe and MacT. Its blatant. For those that recognize the dynamic and what it is its either frustrating or comical. Eakins was hired because his aloof mannerism and assumed great knowledge fits this script to a tee.

This is the K Lowe "I have 6 rings" ethos. That arrogance is on display and as if it meant anything in his current employ. Alternately viewed its the pathetic grabbing on to vestiges of glory in the face of scorn. Lowe has adopted a framework where the "great unwashed" (this time from Pocklington) aren't bright enough to recognize his brilliance, not worthy to stand and judge his merit. The Mact hire press conference was all of that. This org holds others that evaluate it in utter contempt.

 

[McShogun99]

We made the best choice with each of our 1st overalls. Can you imagine the public outcry if we drafted Larsson over RNH or Murray over Yakupov, especially when he missed most of his rookie season due to shoulder injury. The only draft picks we can really question is Draisaitl over Bennett and Nurse over Nichuskin. Even then it will be years before we know if we made the right pick.

 

[McDrai]

Maybe we should stop cycling through goalie after goalie and fire the goalie coach?

 

[rboomercat90]

Seguin has always been surrounded by good vets, Hall and co. have not.

I would have never picked Seguin over Hall and I still wouldn't. Hall is a beast and Seguin is a primadona.

Yeah, I've never understood this sudden reverence for Seguin. Hall has never looked like the worse player of the two and he's spent his career in the worst possible working conditions. Even with all the organizational obstacles in his way he's continued to be a top ten player and improve every year. He's never quit on his team.

Seguin had the good fortune of going to a veteran team that was miles and miles ahead of the Oilers. Even with all those privileges he still managed to screw things up for himself. Let's not forget that the Bruins were posting a guard outside his hotel room on the road during the playoffs because he was sneaking out and partying. He was eventually traded over his off ice crap

How would these two look if their draft order was switched? Would Hall have been better if he'd grown up sheltered in the Bruins system? How much better would he be right now?

What about Seguin if he'd have ended up here playing for this toxic organization? I suspect his development would have been stunted like so many of our other first round picks. Would he even still be here?

Lots of evidence out there to suggest that not only did we make the right pick that year but it could of been a disaster if we'd gone the other way.

 

[MrM]

We all know about the Oilers media and how this is just allowed to happen but i just wish that Eastern based media would ask tough questions and hold their feet to the fire a bit. Kinda hoping that we'd get some of that with Ottawa in town. Might have to wait till later in the season when they play in Toronto on CBC for this to actually be a subject worth looking at. When you look at the entire pictures, 8 years going on 9 of no playoffs, finishing last or near the bottom in each of those years, it definitely doesn't look good. Inside the Edmonton bubble its easier(not easy at all really)to accept this failure, outside its downright shameful. Its old news that the Oilers are terrible, this isn't even on anyone else's mind anymore.

 

[Lrrr]

Seguin is looking soooo good right now. It's hard to resist taking him over Hall with hindsight, even if Hall is damn good himself. You can't lose with either, really. They were the class of the draft.

However, I definitely would've picked Murray over Yakupov. Don't get me wrong: I like Yakupov and think he's going to be a great player for a long time and score many goals. But drafting a winger when we had Eberle and Hall scoring tons of points on the wings was a mistake, IMO. Murray would've filled a much bigger organizational need, and he was pretty much ready to play in the NHL. Of course, there might be a couple other Dman taken in the first round that will be even better, but they weren't ranked as high, so it's not really fair to include them. That's giving too much power to hindsight. But Murray was the #1 choice according to some respected hockey people. I think it would've been the right choice. Having too many defenseman is NEVER a bad thing. It's like having an embarrassment of riches. But too many wingers is not even close to being the same. They just don't hold the same value as young top 4 D and centerman.

The argument to be made is that once Yak starts firing on all.cylinders and begins to become a premier scorer in this league, his value will skyrocket and we could trade him for a #1 defenseman should we need one. This is the argument of drafting BPA over need.

Obviously there are still some question marks here but we are starting to see Yak turn a corner. I'd much rather have to make the tough decision of trading a 35+ goalscorer than wait for Murray to develop. I should probably mention that IMO Murray will end up being a top pairing D but never a true #1.

 

[Raab]

Yeah, can't believe people are still willing to give the Oilers a pass for being completely unprepared yet again for a game. How many times have we laid an egg in the last year in the 1st and only started to look good after we're down badly?

If Scrivens didn't let in all 3 of those goals we probably would have continued to play like crap in the 2nd until Ottawa finally got that 3rd one. So often the Oilers need the game to seem out of reach before they start to play (which is assisted by the other team sitting back which Ottawa has been guilty of a lot this year just leaving their goalie out to dry like we do with a lead). It's a serious problem and the Oilers really don't deserve the vote of confidence they're getting by people saying it was ONLY the goalie that lost and everything else says they should have won.

Yea, I don't really understand the vote of confidence. We've seen a good team with bad goaltending before in 2006. You could tell it was goaltending costing us games that year. What were seeing right now is a below average team with average goaltending. It's a recipe for disaster, put together by Mr. 6 Rings and his minions.

 

[McPuritania]

Another typical Oilers game. Play like **** for 40 minutes, then try in the third period and come up short as usual.

Getting tired of this program. What else is on?

 

[McPuritania]

I'd put money down that we see Gazdic in for Pakarinen next game.

I'd like to get Gaz in, even though everyone hates him, but I seriously don't understand how Pakarinen doesn't get more ice time. The guy hits everything that moves and provides a ton of energy.

 

[Oilfan2]

Yea, I don't really understand the vote of confidence. We've seen a good team with bad goaltending before in 2006. You could tell it was goaltending costing us games that year. What were seeing right now is a below average team with average goaltending. It's a recipe for disaster, put together by Mr. 6 Rings and his minions.

Disagree.

Imo, they're an average team with below average goaltending. Get someone that can stop the puck when they should and the team wins a few more, making them a
.500 team.

 

[Up the Irons]

Seguin is looking soooo good right now. It's hard to resist taking him over Hall with hindsight, even if Hall is damn good himself. You can't lose with either, really. They were the class of the draft.

However, I definitely would've picked Murray over Yakupov. Don't get me wrong: I like Yakupov and think he's going to be a great player for a long time and score many goals. But drafting a winger when we had Eberle and Hall scoring tons of points on the wings was a mistake, IMO. Murray would've filled a much bigger organizational need, and he was pretty much ready to play in the NHL. Of course, there might be a couple other Dman taken in the first round that will be even better, but they weren't ranked as high, so it's not really fair to include them. That's giving too much power to hindsight. But Murray was the #1 choice according to some respected hockey people. I think it would've been the right choice. Having too many defenseman is NEVER a bad thing. It's like having an embarrassment of riches. But too many wingers is not even close to being the same. They just don't hold the same value as young top 4 D and centerman.

Seguin looks good where he is, but what would he look like 'here'? In this losing vortex, playing under Eakins, for Mact and KLowe? Being promoted as the Next One. If he gets hurt, they rush him back because 'we're selling hope'. The coach controls your diet, your nightlife, your off season, your spare time. The POHO thinks you have to be a morally sound, respectable, good Canadian boy.

Seguin would be a basket case if he played in Edmonton.