- One_Eyed_Sweede

On behalf of Victor Hedman I am going to disagree. If anything having a d-man gain real experience without costing a team meaningful wins can be quite beneficial as when the time comes and the player takes the next step that experience proves invaluable.

Everything is relative and nothing is certain, but just b/c a d-man is 18 doesn't mean he shouldn't be in the NHL. However, the fans of said team need to understand that the young d-man is going to make mistakes. It is up to the player to learn from those mistakes
- uf1910

Ekblad seems pretty good so far.

- eichiefs9

Awesome

LOL. You obviously missed the MacT press conference. Eberle isn't going anywhere.

Gagner is not a 2c. Just because he was here, doesn't mean he should be.
- edmhatescal

Yeah try and make that proclamation in the CLoutier thread two years ago

Ekblad seems pretty good so far.
- One_Eyed_Sweede

Another good example. Ekblad will have growing pains, just as Hedman did. But timetable wise it makes sense for a rebuilding team to have young d-man (who take the longest to truly develop and take the next step) play during the rebuild so when they do take that step the rest of the team (and the rebuild) has caught up and the now better team has a solid NHL experienced D backing them up.

Yeah try and make that proclamation in the CLoutier thread two years ago
- 1979AD

Or Tanner's thread 2 months ago.

i wish the flyers had this guy

Tanking is the worst move. The Oilers are damaged. Another season of being a cellar dweller is the last thing this team needs. They need to learn how to win. Another talented forward prospect isn't going to help this team. They need to do something more. I suggested Trading Eberle or Hall for Burrows+. The Oilers needs some heart and someone who knows what it takes to win. At this point all their players have very low value.
- hankthetank[/quote]

You're missing the point. They make moves like you've suggested in bold AND draft a the type of talent that comes around once every 10-20 years if they wait until the offseason.

Another good example. Ekblad will have growing pains, just as Hedman did. But timetable wise it makes sense for a rebuilding team to have young d-man (who take the longest to truly develop and take the next step) play during the rebuild so when they do take that step the rest of the team (and the rebuild) has caught up and the now better team has a solid NHL experienced D backing them up.
- uf1910

The current Panthers are not even remotely close to being as much of a gigantic dog fart as Edmonton is. Nor were the Lightning when Hedman started. The Oilers are horrific, you don't want young defensemen anywhere near that poisonous situation.

Another good example. Ekblad will have growing pains, just as Hedman did. But timetable wise it makes sense for a rebuilding team to have young d-man (who take the longest to truly develop and take the next step) play during the rebuild so when they do take that step the rest of the team (and the rebuild) has caught up and the now better team has a solid NHL experienced D backing them up.
- uf1910

Also didn't seem like Gudbranson was hurting them either.

On behalf of Victor Hedman I am going to disagree. If anything having a d-man gain real experience without costing a team meaningful wins can be quite beneficial as when the time comes and the player takes the next step that experience proves invaluable.

Everything is relative and nothing is certain, but just b/c a d-man is 18 doesn't mean he shouldn't be in the NHL. However, the fans of said team need to understand that the young d-man is going to make mistakes. It is up to the player to learn from those mistakes
- uf1910

Which 18yrs old defenseman are we talking about?

The Oilers did make Changes... Look:

- ImThatGuy

you can bet Scotty H will be the next gm in line if MacT fails.

The current Panthers are not even remotely close to being as much of a gigantic dog fart as Edmonton is. Nor were the Lightning when Hedman started. The Oilers are horrific, you don't want young defensemen anywhere near that poisonous situation.
- eichiefs9

I'm not comparing either of those teams to the Oilers. This is simply a reflection on player development. The general rule of thumb for a d-man is 300 games before they gain the experience needed to truly take the "next step". For a rebuilding team, to have a future top pair d-man gain that experience while the team wallows at the bottom of the standings can pay huge future dividends when the rebuilding process is ending and the team is playing meaningful games. Then you have a still young top pair d-man who has the experience to play well in his top pair role

Which 18yrs old defenseman are we talking about?
- Dangles13

Noone in particular. I was responding to someone who said no 18 year old d-man should ever play in the NHL.

Trade Bailey and Reinhart for Eberle... is that the deal we are working on here???

I would think they would have to sign Boychuk first.

This will be Visnovsky last year... they need to be careful trading Reinhart.

Noone in particular. I was responding to someone who said no 18 year old d-man should ever play in the NHL.
- uf1910

He was talking about Nurse who has been sent down to juniors 2 years in a row. If the kid is too good to learn anything from playing against other kids and he isn't in over his head in sheltered minutes then I would rather have them learn from professionals in the NHL.

He was talking about Nurse who has been sent down to juniors 2 years in a row. If the kid is too good to learn anything from playing against other kids and he isn't in over his head in sheltered minutes then I would rather have them learn from professionals in the NHL.
- Dangles13

Ah.

I agree with your premise. My point was referring to a longer-term view for the player and the organization as a whole but we agree on the main idea behind a young d-man with top pair potential. Sending guys back to juniors in many ways delays development b/c as many of you know defensive hockey isn't exactly a strong suit of the Q. Many of these guys develop bad habits that take years to coach out of them. Ideally these guys would gain experience in the AHL but for many the age rules don't allow, so the choice is wasting possible development in the Q vs taking the expected growing pains in the NHL. For a rebuilding team (to me) it makes alot more sense to go the NHL route b/c years later when that d-man has legitimately become a top pair d-man the rest of the team presumably has caught up and you have the makings of a playoff caliber team. Example today is what Buffalo is doing. Ristolainen and Zadorov seem to be playing decent hockey, and fast forward a few years when the rest of the team and roster catches up those guys will be legitimate studs and the organization will be that much closer to competing for the Cup

Ah.

I agree with your premise. My point was referring to a longer-term view for the player and the organization as a whole but we agree on the main idea behind a young d-man with top pair potential. Sending guys back to juniors in many ways delays development b/c as many of you know defensive hockey isn't exactly a strong suit of the Q. Many of these guys develop bad habits that take years to coach out of them. Ideally these guys would gain experience in the AHL but for many the age rules don't allow, so the choice is wasting possible development in the Q vs taking the expected growing pains in the NHL. For a rebuilding team (to me) it makes alot more sense to go the NHL route b/c years later when that d-man has legitimately become a top pair d-man the rest of the team presumably has caught up and you have the makings of a playoff caliber team. Example today is what Buffalo is doing. Ristolainen and Zadorov seem to be playing decent hockey, and fast forward a few years when the rest of the team and roster catches up those guys will be legitimate studs and the organization will be that much closer to competing for the Cup
- uf1910

Yup. Easier to monitor their progress, diets, and workout regiment. Obviously not every 18yr old can make the jump but it is most definitely case specific.

I don't see the Isles trading Reinhart without locking up Boychuk first
- Vukota

Isles are not moving any dman especially now with 3 on IR. Let the season play out; Team is playing well why mess with the chemistry 26 games into the season.
Correct about locking up Boychuck...before planning any trades regarding our defense core.

Yeah try and make that proclamation in the CLoutier thread two years ago
- 1979AD

2 yrs ago it was even more obvious.

Tanking is the worst move. The Oilers are damaged. Another season of being a cellar dweller is the last thing this team needs. They need to learn how to win. Another talented forward prospect isn't going to help this team. They need to do something more. I suggested Trading Eberle or Hall for Burrows+. The Oilers needs some heart and someone who knows what it takes to win. At this point all their players have very low value.
- hankthetank

Trade Hall or Eberle for a package that centers around Alex "Freaking"Burrows are you on glue? You have to be joking right?

Trade Hall or Eberle for a package that centers around Alex "Freaking"Burrows are you on glue? You have to be joking right?
- DinoRondelly

trolling, I'd ignore it.

Isles are not moving any dman especially now with 3 on IR. Let the season play out; Team is playing well why mess with the chemistry 26 games into the season.
Correct about locking up Boychuck...before planning any trades regarding our defense core.
- Mike C

Bailey for Reinhart and a conditio-

...dammit.

2 yrs ago it was even more obvious.
- edmhatescal

I do recall a bunch of Oilers fans arguing Gagner > Kadri. What I don't recall is any Oilers fans whining about needing a 2nd line centre at that time. Funny that they are now that Gagner's gone, huh? Or should we forget about Gags and focus on Cogliano instead - what was the return for him? Do you consider him a 'real' 2C?