as long as Darryl katz realizes that the mongs with no real clue of the situation, how short a period mact had had the job for, the constraints of his job, the garbage fire he took over, that lowe doesn't make the decisions-that hes just a figurehead, the waiting on development etc etc., are just parroting the same nonsense they hear from some clueless media dude, im totally fine with the masses saying the oilers "really need to get rid of management" and "that's the real issue"

I would love one of these brilliant posters to map out exactly how some other gm would've changed the realities of the situation mact took over and is currently in.

hes the the right guy for job.

the rest of you aren't capable of independent thought. (that one was for my boy tanner )
- Ihateallofu

This is an easy answer: make some trades! I agree that MacT probably isn't the problem in management, but what has he done thats been so great? If Lowe is only a figurehead, why does he even have a job? I don't have a problem with the draft picks, but MacT certainly hasn't built around those high picks. Drafting those players was the easy part. Every GM would have picked the same players first overall, but it shouldnt be this hard to turn those great picks into a great team.

Again, this brings me back to the problem of people needing everything to be totally homogeneous. It is not only probable, but likely that people who you do not agree with actually do know what they're talking about.

And there are people who I never would in a million years agree with who are well informed as well. There are like four topics on earth where there the extreme opinion is correct. Everything else demands compromise and a necessity to hear things you won't agree with.

It shouldn't be a big deal. My wife likes Frasier, my gramps is probably pretty racist, my brother is a redneck, my best teacher was really religious, my cousin once dated a Young Republican, my uncle Chuck is insane, and virtually everyone I know does not share my views on wealth redistribution.

It's cool. I think we should all have different opinions and voice them and talk about them. I think the only really harmful thing you can do is automatically shoot down the ideas of someone just because they are from an opposite political party/lifestyle/ have weird ideas, etc.
- James_Tanner

I agree!
Just not in a "HOCKEY" blog.
But then again, Your smart enough to know exactly what response it would get. And i guess if post counts are that important to you then carry on!

This is an easy answer: make some trades! I agree that MacT probably isn't the problem in management, but what has he done thats been so great? If Lowe is only a figurehead, why does he even have a job? I don't have a problem with the draft picks, but MacT certainly hasn't built around those high picks. Drafting those players was the easy part. Every GM would have picked the same players first overall, but it shouldnt be this hard to turn those great picks into a great team.
- sniper11

a couple things;
by all accounts hes getting lowballed in every offer as teams want to take advantage of what they see as being a desperate gm.\
but to his credit, he hasn't given in.

hes mades lots of trades actually. they just haven't included the core hes trying to build around for multiple lesser plugs.
we can acquire plugs, its the stars and big names that wont come.

hes built around them with the secondary type players that will actually agree to sign in edm (for an overpay of course) Gordon, Hendricks, ference, pouliot, fayne, nikintin

and as the nature of only attracting secondary types, youre build is going to be slow, and youre gonna have some guys that don't make the impact you hoped.
pouliot and Gordon were homeruns. while nikitin has been a total miss.
fayne and ference are decent signings, but theyre depth and leadership. not a ton of big impact

it really is this hard to build a great team. you also need defence. so while all he can do is sign ference and fayne, hes forced to wait on klefbom and nurse to develop.
our biggest need? top pairing defender. so we wait.....

Do the Sabres have a player of OEL's talent level? No, ok then.
- tomburton99

lol

what a chump

a couple things;
by all accounts hes getting lowballed in every offer as teams want to take advantage of what they see as being a desperate gm.\
but to his credit, he hasn't given in.

hes mades lots of trades actually. they just haven't included the core hes trying to build around for multiple lesser plugs.
we can acquire plugs, its the stars and big names that wont come.

hes built around them with the secondary type players that will actually agree to sign in edm (for an overpay of course) Gordon, Hendricks, ference, pouliot, fayne, nikintin

and as the nature of only attracting secondary types, youre build is going to be slow, and youre gonna have some guys that don't make the impact you hoped.
pouliot and Gordon were homeruns. while nikitin has been a total miss.
fayne and ference are decent signings, but theyre depth and leadership. not a ton of big impact

it really is this hard to build a great team. you also need defence. so while all he can do is sign ference and fayne, hes forced to wait on klefbom and nurse to develop.
our biggest need? top pairing defender. so we wait.....
- Ihateallofu

Let's say the train de-rails, EDM gets pick 2, Sabres get 3. To swap picks, what do you want Buffalo to include? Clearly, if EDM agrees to this trade, they are staring down Hanifin.

You have no understanding of the misery that comes along with being a Leafs fan. The fact is, they can keep middling (not very fun to watch) forever, or suck for a couple of years and hope to be good after that (they won't be). I'd much rather the option where I can see the team I love succeeding than watch them somewhere between 17th and 25th the rest of my life.
- SolidGoldBricks

Find another team... Why be a mook your whole life?

Hey James:

http://globalnews.ca/news...ares-heartwarming-letter/

The sabres. statistically speaking, they are having one of, if not the worse season since advance stats.

Let's say the train de-rails, EDM gets pick 2, Sabres get 3. To swap picks, what do you want Buffalo to include? Clearly, if EDM agrees to this trade, they are staring down Hanifin.
- TheSabresTaco

good question.

quite abit id assume.
and I think its a plausible scenario should things play out the way u suggest.

not a lot of forwards in your organization theyd covet id assume.
im sure theyd start with ristolainen + the pick, but once murray shot that down, mact would probably settle on zadarov + the pick.
he might even try and switch the bait and dangle draisaitl instead.

its a lot to ask I know, but eichel is a special talent, and would be 1 many years if not behind mcdavid. and im sure mact would would try and take advantage of how badly u guys want a superstar center/forward.

mact in the driver seat when it comes to trade talks!!??...whoda thunk it?
by all accounts hes getting lowballed left and right

good question.

quite abit id assume.
and I think its a plausible scenario should things play out the way u suggest.

not a lot of forwards in your organization theyd covet id assume.
im sure theyd start with ristolainen + the pick, but once murray shot that down, mact would probably settle on zadarov + the pick.
he might even try and switch the bait and dangle draisaitl instead.

its a lot to ask I know, but eichel is a special talent, and would be 1 many years if not behind mcdavid. and im sure mact would would try and take advantage of how badly u guys want a superstar center/forward.

I'm not sure if Murray would offer up as much as you may think. Marner and Strome are looking like pretty solid picks, and if Edmonton's demands are too much I can see Buffalo going that way. But I do think they would offer Pysyk, 3rd pick, and their later 1st rd pick (NYI) for the 2nd pick. I think the real gamble is, does Edmonton trade the pick and slide down to 4 or 5 and hope Hanifin falls to them. I don't think it's that far fetched to see the order go. McDavid, Eichel, Marner, Strome, then Hanifin.

Oh, and to the writer of this blog. We get enough of the political crap from every other media outlet, so please do us all a favor and leave that garbage out of your blogs. Thanks

mact in the driver seat when it comes to trade talks!!??...whoda thunk it?
by all accounts hes getting lowballed left and right
- Ihateallofu

- sskkoo1

i didn't really make an assumption one way or another on what murray would offer. but more what I belive mact would accept.

pysyk is a decent piece, but I just don't know how much mact is gonna covet another pick as value replacement.
we need to get better now. and that would be the only reason hed deal a potential superstar in jack eichel.


maybe pysyk, foligno and the 3rd
for
2nd and cap dump


I dunno. If it was me, id be looking for an immediate stud defender first. then maybe settle for packages.
and as I said, not sure mact would do it at all. maybe dangle draisaitl instead

I don't know were the idea came along that you can only read or talk to people who agree with you 100%. If you don't like some of my opinions, we can debate them or you can ignore them. But I am not going to write bland and generic pieces just to avoid annoying people who might disagree with me.

We are all grown-ups. We don't need to agree about some things to talk about others. I happen to be of the mind that cheering for a political party like its a sports team is ridiculous.

If the best candidate was Right Wing, I'd vote for him and vice-versa. I have no political leanings, I believe in peace, and justice and fairness and being a decent human being.

In my opinion, neither Bush nor Harper are decent human beings - they are bought and sold by oil companies and they have forgotten the face of their fathers.

But I could also say the same thing about Hilary Clinton.

I don't like them because they think violence is the answer to everything and it has nothing to do with what side of the aisle they vote on.
- James_Tanner

Yeah but you need to keep politics out of your blogs. We as posters get posts deleted, and even threats of bans when we speak too much about non-hockey related subjects. I have some deep rooted passions and positions on many contraversial topics such as immigration, abortion, religion, Unions,gay and animal rights, but its not the time or the place to discuss such matters.
It is your right to speak freely, but if you dont find some of your comments offensive to some people sensitivities that you are more ignorant and unaware that I thought. And I thought you were extremely ignorant and unaware to begin with.

This is an easy answer: make some trades! I agree that MacT probably isn't the problem in management, but what has he done thats been so great? If Lowe is only a figurehead, why does he even have a job? I don't have a problem with the draft picks, but MacT certainly hasn't built around those high picks. Drafting those players was the easy part. Every GM would have picked the same players first overall, but it shouldnt be this hard to turn those great picks into a great team.
- sniper11

If it's easy to answer why have you not done so. He asked for a detailed map of what should have been done.

James,

Write a new blog, we are going through withdrawal over here.

Thanks, Your eager fans.

James,

Write a new blog, we are going through withdrawal over here.

Thanks, Your eager fans.
- Dangles13

HA! Been a busy couple of days, one new one to come later today.

Yeah but you need to keep politics out of your blogs. We as posters get posts deleted, and even threats of bans when we speak too much about non-hockey related subjects. I have some deep rooted passions and positions on many contraversial topics such as immigration, abortion, religion, Unions,gay and animal rights, but its not the time or the place to discuss such matters.
It is your right to speak freely, but if you dont find some of your comments offensive to some people sensitivities that you are more ignorant and unaware that I thought. And I thought you were extremely ignorant and unaware to begin with.

- Jeropotato

I don't know what this says, because now when I see your name, I just skip to the next comment. Just so you know.

I don't know what this says, because now when I see your name, I just skip to the next comment. Just so you know.
- James_Tanner

He does have a point though, we get "requests" from the mods to keep it on topic rather often and are given time outs when we fail to comply.

HA! Been a busy couple of days, one new one to come later today.
- James_Tanner

Good, you are the most frequent blogger on the site I think.

I would say the Coyotes, because they have no goal scoring whatsoever. Case in point, the game against LA. You hold them to a goal... and still lose. I remember saying back in Sept or early October I figured the Coyotes would get the third pick overall. We are there.

Not that it matters, with all these draft picks the next couple of years, Seattle's going to have a decent team.