Edmonton Oilers

[mounD]

I'm not sure I can even really comprehend how much of a disaster this weekend was for the Edmonton Oilers.

[Loch]

So I was watching the post game with Eakins and he was going on about how everything went wrong and it was a shame after they had been playing so well recently.

I don't know that going .500 to that point in the month on a fairly weak schedule is something to be proud of... especially not 2 days after they lost (at home) to a Sabres team that official wrote off this season last June and had no Vanek, no Moulsen, and no Miller.

That said, I don't think it would have been productive to say what he really thought about the team at that point.

[Shake]

Another thumping in progress. 5-1 Sharks at the moment. Not as bad as the beatdown they took from Calgary though. In a 1.5 games ( at the moment) they've been outscored 13-2. Yes, thats a in 1.5 games. Wow.

[metaldude26]

Another thumping in progress. 5-1 Sharks at the moment. Not as bad as the beatdown they took from Calgary though. In a 1.5 games ( at the moment) they've been outscored 13-2. Yes, thats a in 1.5 games. Wow.

Dog pile!

[The Comish]

I'll admit that I thought the hiring of Dallas Eakins (Akins, not Eekins) was a good thing, but then I heard him speak and saw some things that made me have second thoughts. Does he have any other look but pissed off. Does he ever say anything positive? I get that your team (and mine) sucks, but that constant negativity just drives people around you down and down until they can't take anymore and snap. Maybe it's a player throwing a water bottle down on the bench and you get sprayed with water. Big frigging deal dude, it's WATER, but you would have thought the suit was ruined with the way Coach Eakins reacted. Way overboard, get a grip man, just ignore it and address it AFTER the game, maybe have one of your assistant coaches talk to Hall on the bench. Plus Eakins sounds like a robot. No robot has done anything good. Look what they did to the auto industry and the postal service, putting thousands of low-skilled, overpaid manual labourers out of work. Robots. Sheesh.

[Axeman33]

Bring on the draft!!

[BlackGold]

Ekblad please.

[Rylant]

Oilers blew it tonight. Not only could they not get Smyth his powerplay goal, but they won the one game they were supposed to lose! It's going to be tough to land Ekblad now.

Rylant

[doulos]

Ekblad would have been nice, but whoever they draft isn't going to be the answer to the Oiler problems, Ekblad included. You look at how long it takes some highly touted defensemen to actually become impact players and you're looking at a few years before he would even be a difference maker for them.

I would think they end up with Draisaitl, and that's fine too.

I like their goalie situation right now, but they need a guy to play top pairing on the blueline, probably a whole new third line, and then if they can move Gagner, they can replace that 2nd line C position. Tons of work for MacTavish ahead, and likely they will end up picking up bits and pieces and hoping the young kids can get it done again, because filling the top D or 2C spot with decent FA acquisitions is just not going to happen in Edmonton.

I doubt the team makes the playoffs again next year.

[SeaDawg]

Whether the Oilers get Bennett, Ekblad, or Reinhart, they are going to end up with another elite prospect. Heck, I have a sneaky feeling that they end up winning the draft lottery again (we will find out tomorrow!).

All that said, I would really like to see the Oilers deal the pick for an immediate impact player (ideally a defenseman), but I doubt that happens.

[SeaDawg]

With the defense, patience is key. I really like the potential Klefbom and Nurse have, but they can't be rushed. They really need to find a solid pairing dman via trade somehow. They aren't given away, but when I think that the Rangers got McDonagh via trade, there is some hope the Oilers might get lucky that way too, if they at least tried. I'd really like to see them deal the first round pick for a prospect that is further ahead in development, but has perhaps fallen out of favor a bit with the current franchise. I have no specific names in mind, but maybe someone like Reinhart from the Rangers or Gormley from the Coyotes, Cowen from the Sens, etc.

I just look around the league and I see so many quality blueliners who developed within the system; I just wish the Oilers had that luck. Players like Ekman-Larsson, Gudas, McDonagh, Brodin, etc.

[metaldude26]

It's Ekblad or bust! I could see their top pick packaged with one of their forwards in a splashy deal.

[SeaDawg]

It's Ekblad or bust! I could see their top pick packaged with one of their forwards in a splashy deal.

It is a very weak draft for dmen, unfortunately. At least in the first round. I could see lots of interest from teams drafting later in the first round to move up in the draft in the hopes of grabbing Ekblad.

[Axeman33]

It's Ekblad or bust! I could see their top pick packaged with one of their forwards in a splashy deal.

Spezza!

[Shiva Blaster]

Spezza!

I had this thought too. I'm not a fan by any means, but he definitely fills a need of a skilled C with size. Unfortunately, he doesn't help in the physicality or 2-way play departments.