First of all, Galchenyuk is not really anything special right now.

Second, he's saying we should have draft Gally because we have an organizational need at centre. But the successful organization who did draft him, have deployed him most of his short career at LW. Evidently, they don't see him yet as a full-time NHL centreman. But this guy suggests the Oil would have made the right move by putting him there right away one paragraph after criticizing Nuge for not being ready for an NHL centre role?

I'm done with him. A good litmus test for a troll is whether they ever respond to any points you make, or just hammer the same thing over and over. He failed spectacularly, so I'm putting him in the newmy pile.
- Morris

Yeah, the guy is all hindsight and doing the whole "Oilers drafted the wrong guys, how could you not see that at the draft" routine. It's pretty pathetic.

Good morning BJ or what?
- spitfire187

i wish. Just in a good mood today for no reason. I'm not Iggy's age yet

i wish. Just in a good mode today for no reason. I'm not Iggy's age yet
- ChetManly

A good mode??? Have you cyberneticly linked to your new computer or something?

Hamilton was considered by many to be the top dman in the draft. He went 9th overall which was yes low... but considering the Oilers kept drafting forwards from 07-12 with their first picks while the defense was obviously a glaring need yes that would have been a good call at the time and still would be today.
- mnhockeyguy

Last response to you:

You're actually painfully wrong about that. From 07-10 at least, their biggest need was at forward. Shawn Horcoff was our #1 centre.

On the defense however, we had at that time a pretty respectable dcore featuring guys like Visnovsky, Pitkanen, Souray, Hejda, Matt Greene, Gilbert, Staios, Smid.

Since the collapse in 2010, we've needed talent everywhere. Same general holes at forward, but our defense dwindled away too. Good thing we've drafted more defensemen than forwards since then. Go figure.

You're skirting the border of knowing what you're talking about, but your confrontational nature is preventing you from seeing any other perspective. poopty talking to you.

A good mode??? Have you cyberneticly linked to your new computer or something?
- spitfire187

are you seriously trying to critique someone else's typo's?

are you seriously trying to critique someone else's typo's?
- ChetManly

Youer gald damme wright I'm...

If people want to criticize a draft that helped lead to the oilers' futility, they should look at 2007. No question there, we bungled 2-3 1st round picks when there was some excellent talent to be found there.

At least we can discuss that a little more fruitfully than rehashing Gally and Yak again and again.

On your first paragraph, you've got most of that wrong. I'd love to see you post a couple scouting reports from 2011 or 2012 that criticized his work ethic and character. But setting that aside, are you contending that the Oilers draft really got de-railed by not picking Galchenyuk? where do you think we'd be right now if we had him?

As far as nuge goes, he's just plain doesn't have dreadful defense. That's absurd. He also leads our team in scoring. So I'm not really going to address those criticisms, especially since you didn't address any of mine.
- Morris

Lets see his best year statistically he was a -12... hmmm. This year he's a -3 which is better true, but its early and the team is on pace to be one of the worst, so its safe to assume that will get progressively worse.

One again Yakupov has been up and down the lineup and has pretty much the same number of points as Galchenyuk who as you said has played as a third liner and now 2nd liner. But he is trending in the right direction and is a natural C, something once again the oilers needed at that draft. And the pick was blasted by many, Dave Hodges of TSN being one notable.

If people want to criticize a draft that helped lead to the oilers' futility, they should look at 2007. No question there, we bungled 2-3 1st round picks when there was some excellent talent to be found there.

At least we can discuss that a little more fruitfully than rehashing Gally and Yak again and again.
- Morris

But how are teams supposed to know how players are going to turn out? There are so many failed prospects, hindsight is rather stupid to use.

I'll agree, it's fun/frustrating to look back at the drafts to see who we could've had instead (2007 is the worst for that), but it doesn't really change anything.

Lets see his best year statistically he was a -12... hmmm. This year he's a -3 which is better true, but its early and the team is on pace to be one of the worst, so its safe to assume that will get progressively worse.

One again Yakupov has been up and down the lineup and has pretty much the same number of points as Galchenyuk who as you said has played as a third liner and now 2nd liner. But he is trending in the right direction and is a natural C, something once again the oilers needed at that draft. And the pick was blasted by many, Dave Hodges of TSN being one notable.
- mnhockeyguy

happy fishing!

Lets see his best year statistically he was a -12... hmmm. This year he's a -3 which is better true, but its early and the team is on pace to be one of the worst, so its safe to assume that will get progressively worse.

One again Yakupov has been up and down the lineup and has pretty much the same number of points as Galchenyuk who as you said has played as a third liner and now 2nd liner. But he is trending in the right direction and is a natural C, something once again the oilers needed at that draft. And the pick was blasted by many, Dave Hodges of TSN being one notable.
- mnhockeyguy

But how are teams supposed to know how players are going to turn out? There are so many failed prospects, hindsight is rather stupid to use.

I'll agree, it's fun/frustrating to look back at the drafts to see who we could've had instead (2007 is the worst for that), but it doesn't really change anything.
- ChetManly

On one hand, hindsight is 20/20 so it's frustrating to say "Oh Jamie Benn went in the 5th round? We should have just drafted him 15th overall!". That was a wacky draft.

On the other hand, drafting record has to be consequential to some degree. There were plausible guys for team need on the board when we drafted guys who failed. I don't know that Couture, Pacioretty and Subban wouldn't have flamed out here just like Gagner, Plante and Nash did, but it sure doesn't look like they would have.

You proved me wrong - LMAO!! Yeah just like MacT proved you all wrong by saying he was going to improve the Oilers when in fact they are the same old Oilers if not worse - 3rd worst in the league - again!!!!!!!

Or have you seen a slight improvement?? LOL
- newmy

As much as I would love to disagree with you, because you're a total knob and an idiot, there is nothing I can say in defense of the Oilers players, MacTaint or Dallas Eakins.
Simply put, every successful team in this salary cap era has about 10 key players that make up a solid core in the NHL.
Those key players are:
#1 Center
#1 scoring Winger
#2 Center
#2 scoring Winger
Checking Center
Checking Winger
#1 D
#2 D
#3 D
#1 Goalie
The rest of the 19 starters can be basically filled much the way Mac T has done it ( free agency, Farm Hands, ect.
The problem I see is an excess of scoring wingers that don't really score, and a plethora of #3 defenders that need a particular partner to be effectively paired with. We are completely (frank)ed here.

I can't speak for everyone but I have to beleive that an impact Center can help our wingers score much in the same way a true #1 D man can take on a number of our D as a partner and make them not seem out of place.

Also, our goalies lick balls in the grande scheme of things.

I don't know if Mac T has the balls or not, but I would sure like him to show them to us.
As far as I'm concerned I would keep Hall, Nuge, Fayne,Gordon, Hendricks, Draisaitl and one of marincin or Klefbom. Everyone else is expendable in the right deal.
Top priorities:
#1 D
2C
Starting goalie.

Last response to you:

You're actually painfully wrong about that. From 07-10 at least, their biggest need was at forward. Shawn Horcoff was our #1 centre.

On the defense however, we had at that time a pretty respectable dcore featuring guys like Visnovsky, Pitkanen, Souray, Hejda, Matt Greene, Gilbert, Staios, Smid.

Since the collapse in 2010, we've needed talent everywhere. Same general holes at forward, but our defense dwindled away too. Good thing we've drafted more defensemen than forwards since then. Go figure.

You're skirting the border of knowing what you're talking about, but your confrontational nature is preventing you from seeing any other perspective. poopty talking to you.
- Morris

Your misunderstanding. I was stating that they had drafted forwards for so long that they had allowed their d-well to dry up... and I dont intend to come off as confrontational, I generally feel for Oilers fans. As a Wild fan I understand futility, and Im simply pointing out where I believe the Oilers failed... and nothing about the progression of the team leads me to conclude that Im wrong in my assessment. Of course there are many other factors too, but these to me are two big ones.

On one hand, hindsight is 20/20 so it's frustrating to say "Oh Jamie Benn went in the 5th round? We should have just drafted him 15th overall!". That was a wacky draft.

On the other hand, drafting record has to be consequential to some degree. There were plausible guys for team need on the board when we drafted guys who failed. I don't know that Couture, Pacioretty and Subban wouldn't have flamed out here just like Gagner, Plante and Nash did, but it sure doesn't look like they would have.
- Morris

Yeah, that's the frustrating part about all of it. I mean, in regards to Plante, it sounds like talent wasn't the issue, the guy succumed to a number of head injuries and concussions. There's really nothing anyone can do about a situation like that. Hell, for all we know, Subban could've had the same thing happen.

Your misunderstanding. I was stating that they had drafted forwards for so long that they had allowed their d-well to dry up... and I dont intend to come off as confrontational, I generally feel for Oilers fans. As a Wild fan I understand futility, and Im simply pointing out where I believe the Oilers failed... and nothing about the progression of the team leads me to conclude that Im wrong in my assessment. Of course there are many other factors too, but these to me are two big ones.
- mnhockeyguy

wrong. Dmen were drafted, they unfortunately didn't pan out. Management also mishandled the d-corps and it dwindled into a crap pot of mediocre players.

just like fayne and nikitin would improve the team, oh and scribbles
- FLAM3SFAN

You are correct. Coburn is good, maybe even better than those guys, but do you see him having a real impact? Me neither.

The argument was Galchenyuk or Yak, and who would you rather have? Yak had all sorts of questions about his character and work ethic when he was drafted which proved true. Now this year he is playing better, but at a position thats more easily replaceable then centre. Galchenyuk was the better pick and unfortunately the Oilers duffed it.

Now on to Nuge again. No one outside of Edmonton considers him to be a number 1 centre and his numbers and dreadful defense attest to that. He's healthy this year and bulkier and supposedly worked on his shot, yet this team is on pace to be one of the worst in Oilers history...??? Yes there are more tangibles that go into their futility but defense needed to be addressed during that draft and they chose instead a kid not strong enough to play in the NHL who ended up being oft hurt, and made him their #1 centreman pretty much from the get go!? How's that working out for them... oh yeah it isnt!
- mnhockeyguy

You are wrong on just about everything you said about RNH. He's gonna be a top 10 Center in this this league one day ( not a Crosby, but more like a Sedin), he's playing well and is actually pretty solid defensively.

You are wrong on just about everything you said about RNH. He's gonna be a top 10 Center in this this league one day ( not a Crosby, but more like a Sedin), he's playing well and is actually pretty solid defensively.
- Jeropotato

Oh man, RNH's rushes up the ice with the puck are similar to the speed and intensity that Hall has. It's so great to watch

wrong. Dmen were drafted, they unfortunately didn't pan out. Management also mishandled the d-corps and it dwindled into a crap pot of mediocre players.
- ChetManly

But not in the first round which was the whole basis of the discussion!

But not in the first round which was the whole basis of the discussion!
- mnhockeyguy

But you have based your whole argument on Yak and RNH's draft years.
I can almost certainly say that no matter who was picked from those years the Oilers would not be better today, nor would they likely be better at the end of this year. Without Nuge I can confidently say we would be much worse.

But you have based your whole argument on Yak and RNH's draft years.
I can almost certainly say that no matter who was picked from those years the Oilers would not be better today, nor would they likely be better at the end of this year. Without Nuge I can confidently say we would be much worse.
- abware

I think the Oilers are like the Flyers in a way. I feel the Flyers lineup just doesn't mesh well. The pieces just don't seem to fit. The Oilers seem to have the same problem. That is why i think they make good draft partners.

But not in the first round which was the whole basis of the discussion!
- mnhockeyguy

Bah! We drafted Plante, Klef and Nurse in the first rounds. But even if we drafted D in place of either Nuge or Yak or both they would still be kids and largely u impactful and we would be sitting here still with our Richards in our hands wondering where we were gonna get some forwards to provide run support.

Are you really trying to say that rookie defensemen would be all thats needed to turn the club around?
- ChetManly

Hamilton isn't a rookie anymore, and the discussion was who would be the more impactful player for the Oilers, Nuge or Hamilton? I argued that long term Hamilton was the better choice for the Oilers because they dreadfully needed to get dmen into their system that were talented. Nuge is playing on the #1 line, but he is not a number 1 center at least in the west. Yes it is hindsight, but also commentary on how the Oilers didn't draft for need, and its now going to be probably two to three years before some of they finally drafted are seasoned enough to contribute meaningfully.

Just so I'm clear and we can be done with this: Is it minnesota guy's contention that instead of who we did draft in the 1st rounds of 2011 and 2012

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Oskar Klefbom
Nail Yakupov

we should have drafted
Dougie Hamilton
Some unspecified other defenseman available at 19th
Alex Galchenyuk

and that that is the reason for our continued futility?