Right but MacT has been in here less than a year. I think he meant going forward this is MacT's team and he will make the moves he believes are correct.

I think SaskOil may be correct. Probably would have been better to say nothing.
- Iggysbff

Fans would female dog either way though. People were already wondering what Katz thought, but the problem is people are (frank)ing stupid and expect him to come out swinging and bury someone.

The thing is how do you really blame MacT for the mess that Kevin Lowe allowed go on for so long under ST?
- Lahey

No sane person does, but in his train wreck of a letter it sure sounds like that.

Fans would female dog either way though. People were already wondering what Katz thought, but the problem is people are (frank)ing stupid and expect him to come out swinging and bury someone.
- Lahey

Firing Lowe wont do jack to make the team better, but how long does he continue to employed for, despite presiding over the longest streak of futility in the modern era?

Firing Lowe wont do jack to make the team better, but how long does he continue to employed for, despite presiding over the longest streak of futility in the modern era?
- sanfordnson

Come on now... even tho the game has changed... you got to admit... KLowe knows a thing or 2 about winning...

However he meant it, that's how it comes off.
- sanfordnson

I read it the same way.

In my opinion you can't expect Mac-T to polish this turd of an organization in just half a year.

Firing Lowe wont do jack to make the team better, but how long does he continue to employed for, despite presiding over the longest streak of futility in the modern era?
- sanfordnson

Who knows, but it's not like it's all that uncommon in the real world. Suck ass, get the government to bail you out. In our case the bail out is a #1 draft pick

Well Hank has his iron man streak ending tonite. Only one Sedin in the line up.

Easy win tonite boys!

I read it the same way.

In my opinion you can't expect Mac-T to polish this turd of an organization in just half a year.
- Reveen

This is why letters don't work. This is why e-mail sometimes gets you in poop.

You cant convey tone or meaning sometimes in writing.

This is why letters don't work. This is why e-mail sometimes gets you in poop.

You cant convey tone or meaning sometimes in writing.
- Iggysbff

If he spoke those exact words it would still come off the same way.

Well Hank has his iron man streak ending tonite. Only one Sedin in the line up.

Easy win tonite boys!
- Iggysbff

Tomorrow

Tomorrow
- Lahey

He's in a rush to watch the Canucks whip us...

Tomorrow
- Lahey

HA! right...tomorrow!

If he spoke those exact words it would still come off the same way.
- Reveen

But then maybe he would be asked about it and be able to clarify. I don't think for a second he was throwing MacT under the bus. Just stating that MacT has ownership of the on ice product and will be fixing this team going forward.

HA! right...tomorrow!
- Iggysbff

I wonder if Torts will start him and then give him the rest of the night off just so his iron man streak will continue. I think Vigneault pulled that move once last season.

I wonder if Torts will start him and then give him the rest of the night off just so his iron man streak will continue. I think Vigneault pulled that move once last season.
- nated81

Torts wont be coaching tomorrow....

Torts wont be coaching tomorrow....
- Iggysbff

Right, I just checked TSN too and they say Henrik will be out too.

This is exactly the proof that all of these computer-nerd gay little stats don't matter. "relative corsi"? Go tell a guy in the show that he needs to improve his relative corsi and see what happens to you...

Gagner floats, Gagner is last to re-enter his own zone many times (he's the Centerman btw), Gagner doesn't say "boo" to his man while standing beside him in the slot.

He can maintain posession with his slick hands for 45seconds of his shift...but all it takes is one stupid, lazy, "relative Gagner" for 1 second and the puck is in the back of his own net. These stats are so annoying.
- JLO961

It doesn't take a computer nerd to count how many times you try to take a shot on the opposing goal. In fact, it's more intuitive in a way then defining a shot as "a shot that a goalie had to make a save on, or a goal".

But point taken. Anyone can see that Gagner is part of the problem. I would say that this year though, the problem is so pervasive that it's incredibly short-sighted to say he's specifically not part of the solution.

The solution on the Oilers is to add more toughness and defensive acumen, and whether that means sending Gagner out or keeping him, he really means very little in that equation. A team with Gagner and Shea Weber is better than a team without Gagner but with Shea Weber, even though Weber makes up more of that equation. and in this way it's obvious the Oilers problems aren't in who they have, but who they don't have.

If I recall correctly, most of the team is suffering from bad "puck luck". There was a short time earlier in the season that Gagner's PDO was sub-800.
- MaximumBone

Here are the PDO numbers.

It's not a coincidence that Yakupov, Smyth and Gagner are bottom of the league in both PDO and in +/-. None of them were there last year and I'd bet none of them will be next year.

In fact, of the bottom 25 in PDO, all feature in the bottom 75 and only one was there last year (Michael Cammalleir)

It doesn't take a computer nerd to count how many times you try to take a shot on the opposing goal. In fact, it's more intuitive in a way then defining a shot as "a shot that a goalie had to make a save on, or a goal".

But point taken. Anyone can see that Gagner is part of the problem. I would say that this year though, the problem is so pervasive that it's incredibly short-sighted to say he's specifically not part of the solution.

The solution on the Oilers is to add more toughness and defensive acumen, and whether that means sending Gagner out or keeping him, he really means very little in that equation. A team with Gagner and Shea Weber is better than a team without Gagner but with Shea Weber, even though Weber makes up more of that equation. and in this way it's obvious the Oilers problems aren't in who they have, but who they don't have.
- Morris

in gagners case, id argue it's a case of who they do have as well as who they don't have.

he's cursed with being surrounded with more talented, but also smallish offensive stars.
which makes his defensive and faceoff shortcomings, as well as his size that much more magnified.

he's part of the problem AND without a revamp of our top 6 in favour of gagner (which of course isn't gonna happen) neither is he part of the solution

in gagners case, id argue it's a case of who they do have as well as who they don't have.

he's cursed with being surrounded with more talented, but also smallish offensive stars.
which makes his defensive and faceoff shortcomings, as well as his size that much more magnified.

he's part of the problem AND without a revamp of our top 6 in favour of gagner (which of course isn't gonna happen) neither is he part of the solution
- hugefemale dog77

I can think of many ways to organize the top 9 with Gagner in it that end up looking competitive, but given his potential trade value, I can see that it's certainly easier to dangle him in search of (some of) the pieces we need.

That being said, I'm going to lose my poop if they spent that long grooming him and dump him for some bargain basement Dubnyk price and act like we should be glad to be rid of him.