Oh... A member of the lucky sperm club I see...
- laughs2907

Yea no kiddin bro. I don't look forward to Avalanche off-seasons anymore since he took over the team. A month ago he came out and said he still wants to build within the teams propects. But recently Adrian Dater who is the Avalanche column writer for the Denver Post stated managment is deciding on who to bid for Parise or Suter. When he comes out publicly and says something like that usually means something is up considering our organization is so quiet during trade deadlines and free agency.

I am sure Joe Sakic had some say in this, probaly grabbed his son by nuts and told him "either get this done, or we are shipping your ass to Toronto."

Much like the asian girl chained in my basement.... he asked out awhile ago but no body would listen
- kneughter

"he" asked out? sounds like your asian girl is a lady boy

"he" asked out? sounds like your asian girl is a lady boy
- numbear

Yes he.... much LIKE the asian girl chained in my basement... HE (iginla) asked out along time ago but nobody listened

Great blog. Good format. Kind of a year end house cleaning on some lingering thoughts. Wonder about the Swedish thing. Swedes are generally pretty solid players and very good team guys. Can't help but notice that most if the Swedes around the Oilers have struggled. Next test will be Klefbom.

Maybe it is just a string of bad luck? You might want to revisit the topic when training camp starts back up.

Smyth is a joke.

That is all.

21. I've learned to over value my beloved Edmonton Oilers....But that is my right ...

Good idea for a blog. I think each teams blogger should do this. Well done.

I thought i read somewhere that he wanted more than a 1 year deal and the oilers only wanted to give him a 1 year contract? I dont blame him at his age, with a family that he demanded to be traded back to edmonton for, that he wants to know where he will be further ahead than a year. If he is holding out for more than the 2 million that is offered, then he is everything you have said about him and i hope he is traded or signed as far away and to the worst place he could possibly play
- ruttager17

I believe that it is term that is being haggled over.

He did turn down a Bertuzzi like contract. Not sure if that was over money or term also. I hope it is term only and he wants a 2 year not a longer term where the team only wants to give a 1 year.

I am not happy with Smyth...not to the levels of Laughs, I am not sure most same people take the levels of disgust to that proportions...but even @ 1 year for 2 mil he can retire and live a modest life. It is not like he wont get money in the future from other things he will do.

I'm amongst the face offs = winning group. We saw a huge improvement in both the PK and the PP with the Oilers this season I fully believe that a large part of both of those improvements were due to the fact that the Oilers were starting with the puck 55-60% of the time instead of chasing it down the ice for 20 seconds or allowing the other team to set up.

The face offs themselves might not directly contribute to wins, but the improved special teams will. The game becomes closer when you believe you can score on the PP and not give up a goal on 25 percent of the penalties your team takes.

The asian girl in your basement is a HE....
- abware

Meh, you never know with those asians. Just ask Stu from hangover

I'm amongst the face offs = winning group. We saw a huge improvement in both the PK and the PP with the Oilers this season I fully believe that a large part of both of those improvements were due to the fact that the Oilers were starting with the puck 55-60% of the time instead of chasing it down the ice for 20 seconds or allowing the other team to set up.

The face offs themselves might not directly contribute to wins, but the improved special teams will. The game becomes closer when you believe you can score on the PP and not give up a goal on 25 percent of the penalties your team takes.
- Ben37

Yep. People complain about Belanger on the PP, but take him off and put RNH there. Lets just see how good the PP is when we are going back to our end for the first 15-20 seconds of every PP.

Dear Leafs Nation: When we say we think your team is terrible, we're not doing it to make you mad. We're doing it, in our blog section, because we actually think your team sucks.

I think Leafs Nation thinks the same thing about the leafs.

I've said it since he was re-signed. How Tambo still has a job, baffles me.

I cannot think of another GM in any sport in a market that has rabid fans who has held the first overall pick three years in a row and still go re-upped.
Blows my mind.

Essentially, he has failed to a degree that no one else in that same time can possibly fail, statistically impossible... and yet he still has a job.

The team has to get better just based on making the no bariner pick each year.

The fact that all the flaws of this teams that it had before this run are still there and the only promise is those three picks and Eberle tells me a lot. You could have a bag of dirt run this team the last three years and the fact of the matter is, they still wouldn't have finished worse.

But lets fire Renney.
Just as a guy who works for a living in an environment that pays me based on accomplishments and employs me as long as I am productive, it confuses me how someone can do so much wrong with so many quality people waiting in line for an opportunity and yet this guy, the guy who has managed to be statistically worse than any of his peers for three straight years, still remains. Even as a fan of another team, it makes me sick.

I think Leafs Nation thinks the same thing about the leafs.
- wolfos412

Except when they are talking about how good they are compared to the Oilers

I've said it since he was re-signed. How Tambo still has a job, baffles me.

I cannot think of another GM in any sport in a market that has rabid fans who has held the first overall pick three years in a row and still go re-upped.
Blows my mind.

Essentially, he has failed to a degree that no one else in that same time can possibly fail, statistically impossible... and yet he still has a job.

The team has to get better just based on making the no bariner pick each year.

The fact that all the flaws of this teams that it had before this run are still there and the only promise is those three picks and Eberle tells me a lot. You could have a bag of dirt run this team the last three years and the fact of the matter is, they still wouldn't have finished worse.

But lets fire Renney.
Just as a guy who works for a living in an environment that pays me based on accomplishments and employs me as long as I am productive, it confuses me how someone can do so much wrong with so many quality people waiting in line for an opportunity and yet this guy, the guy who has managed to be statistically worse than any of his peers for three straight years, still remains. Even as a fan of another team, it makes me sick.
- Lohaus

It's really quite simple and I don't know why people can't figure it out. When they drafted Hall, ST had a plan that Katz(the owner approved). It was a 5 year rebuild. Why people can't figure out why he was renewed is beyond me.

His extension doesn't matter because if there isn't an increase in the standings he will be fired. With that being said, take a look at the numbers and you'll see that this team really improved from last year. The problem was last year we were beyond (frank)ing brutal.

Except when they are talking about how good they are compared to the Oilers
- Lahey

Hahaha, not me man. I would rather have Dubnyk than either gustav or riemer, I would rather Eberle -Hall - RNH over all our players not to mention your getting another sure fire thing in Yakupov. Your prospect D men are good too they just haven't been brought up yet.

It's really quite simple and I don't know why people can't figure it out. When they drafted Hall, ST had a plan that Katz(the owner approved). It was a 5 year rebuild. Why people can't figure out why he was renewed is beyond me.

His extension doesn't matter because if there isn't an increase in the standings he will be fired. With that being said, take a look at the numbers and you'll see that this team really improved from last year. The problem was last year we were beyond (frank)ing brutal.
- Lahey

So explain the 5 year plan then? What I see is I won't do anything to try and improve the team, we'll suck for 4 years and in year 5, we'll be good because of our 4 first overalls and we hope to god we hit on one of our seconds too?
From a perspective of being an active GM, what has he done? Who has he brought in to try and improve the team, short term or long term? If the 5 year plan is to sit on his hands for 5 years and in year 5 show how good we are (or fire me after paying me 5 years for my complete incompetence) then sign me up. I can do the same job as well. Saying you have a five year plan and not do anything to bolster your lineup makes no sense to me. Rebuilds don't have to take half a decade of finishing dead last. Any fool can say that is the deal and if that is what was sold to Katz, shame on him too.

delete

So explain the 5 year plan then? What I see is I won't do anything to try and improve the team, we'll suck for 4 years and in year 5, we'll be good because of our 4 first overalls and we hope to god we hit on one of our seconds too?
From a perspective of being an active GM, what has he done? Who has he brought in to try and improve the team, short term or long term? If the 5 year plan is to sit on his hands for 5 years and in year 5 show how good we are (or fire me after paying me 5 years for my complete incompetence) then sign me up. I can do the same job as well. Saying you have a five year plan and not do anything to bolster your lineup makes no sense to me. Rebuilds don't have to take half a decade of finishing dead last. Any fool can say that is the deal and if that is what was sold to Katz, shame on him too.
- Lohaus

You say 'we' talking about the oilers but your fav team is Ottawa? splain to me this...

So explain the 5 year plan then? What I see is I won't do anything to try and improve the team, we'll suck for 4 years and in year 5, we'll be good because of our 4 first overalls and we hope to god we hit on one of our seconds too?
From a perspective of being an active GM, what has he done? Who has he brought in to try and improve the team, short term or long term? If the 5 year plan is to sit on his hands for 5 years and in year 5 show how good we are (or fire me after paying me 5 years for my complete incompetence) then sign me up. I can do the same job as well. Saying you have a five year plan and not do anything to bolster your lineup makes no sense to me. Rebuilds don't have to take half a decade of finishing dead last. Any fool can say that is the deal and if that is what was sold to Katz, shame on him too.
- Lohaus

Why do you want an active GM when you are doing a full out rebuild that included getting rid of bad contracts? The plan was to load up on high end prospects and slowly add.

Would we be better off to be in CBJ shoes where the GM went active because the fans wanted him too and now they are in a worse spot than they were than last year?

He added players that last few years, players that had potential but didn't cost anything. Took some chances, won some lost some. You don't draft first overall and then go out and sign 6 high end free agents.

FYI we just finished year 2

Hahaha, not me man. I would rather have Dubnyk than either gustav or riemer, I would rather Eberle -Hall - RNH over all our players not to mention your getting another sure fire thing in Yakupov. Your prospect D men are good too they just haven't been brought up yet.
- wolfos412

We need to add a vet or two to the backend to help bring those kids along. Really got lucky that Petry took such a big step. Shouldn't shock as they've been building him up since draft day, but they said a lot of good things about Chorney too.

We need to add a vet or two to the backend to help bring those kids along. Really got lucky that Petry took such a big step. Shouldn't shock as they've been building him up since draft day, but they said a lot of good things about Chorney too.

FYI we just finished year 2.
- Lahey

I would say you need another goalie to pair with Duby, get rid of Khabby... somehow. Maybe he can choose to serve his year in jail this season. Shore up your 3rd + 4th line a bit shouldn't be too hard with guys like Prust avaliable, and then add that vet d man you talked about and there's no reason you guys won't suceed.

Why do you want an active GM when you are doing a full out rebuild that included getting rid of bad contracts? The plan was to load up on high end prospects and slowly add.

Would we be better off to be in CBJ shoes where the GM went active because the fans wanted him too and now they are in a worse spot than they were than last year?

He added players that last few years, players that had potential but didn't cost anything. Took some chances, won some lost some. You don't draft first overall and then go out and sign 6 high end free agents.
- Lahey

So, who did he add? Ben Eager? Eric Belanger?
I get that you disagree with me, but outside of adding garbage players, I see no plan here. You say he got rid of bad contacts, but I see he added a sweet one in Ryan Smyth as well. He traded Pancakes away, good for him but old Pancakes now has a second Stanley Cup. I see the need for D is still there. He traded away Gilbert for Schultz. Is the goaltending situation solved? Seems to me, like the D, its still an issue. All these picks, all these prospects and yet none of the problems that were there before hand are solved. The entire identity of the Oilers still lays with the picks... Hall, Eberle, RNH and soon to be Yakupov. As I said, these guys getting older will make the team better, despite Tambo's lack of doing anyhting creatively. Other GM seem to find a way to bring in quality players, make quality deals. I see nothing from Tambo in 3 years.

I would say you need another goalie to pair with Duby, get rid of Khabby... somehow. Maybe he can choose to serve his year in jail this season. Shore up your 3rd + 4th line a bit shouldn't be too hard with guys like Prust avaliable, and then add that vet d man you talked about and there's no reason you guys won't suceed.
- wolfos412

Bulin might not be bad if he is just a backup. What I want is another good AHL goalie like we had the past couple years. This way if Bulin is no good then we call up Gerber or Dannis. Bulin did his jail already.

I'm not too worried about our 4th, because if our other 3 lines are good we shouldn't have to worry about the 4th. Petrell-Belanger-Jones should be a good enough 4th line. The problem is if you end up using Belanger/Jones on the 3rd then you run into a problem.

So, who did he add? Ben Eager? Eric Belanger?
I get that you disagree with me, but outside of adding garbage players, I see no plan here. You say he got rid of bad contacts, but I see he added a sweet one in Ryan Smyth as well. He traded Pancakes away, good for him but old Pancakes now has a second Stanley Cup. I see the need for D is still there. He traded away Gilbert for Schultz. Is the goaltending situation solved? Seems to me, like the D, its still an issue. All these picks, all these prospects and yet none of the problems that were there before hand are solved. The entire identity of the Oilers still lays with the picks... Hall, Eberle, RNH and soon to be Yakupov. As I said, these guys getting older will make the team better, despite Tambo's lack of doing anyhting creatively. Other GM seem to find a way to bring in quality players, make quality deals. I see nothing from Tambo in 3 years.
- Lohaus

Foster, Barker, Eager, Jones, Potter, Sutton, Fraser etc... There was no need to go for hire end guys because we were trying to build a prospect pool, but you can't see this apparently. Yes there is still issues we know that, if there wasn't issues then we'd be playing for Stanley Cup instead of LA.