Black Dog Posted July 4, 2014 Report Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) Yeah yeah, it's summer, but I'm an Oilers fan which means the time around the draft is always the best time of year. This year the Oilers added another excellent prospect in German-born Leon Draisaitl, a big centre who played for Prince Albert. They also made a bit of a splash in free agency, adding D Nikita Nikitin at a very generous $4.5 M for two years, D Mark Fayne (four Years, $3.625M per), LW Benoit Pouliot (five years, $4M per) and depth guy and ex-Leaf D Keith Aulie (one year, $800K). On the trade front they dealt expensive and underperforming centre Sam Gagner to Tampa for expensive and underperforming winger Teddy Purcell (Gagner was then shipped to Arizona). All in all a big off season for Edmonton GM Craig MacTavish, who has added a bunch of NHL talent to a team that has been lacking in that area. The biggest changes are on the blueline, which still lacks a true #1, but actually resembles that of a real hockey team for the first time in about five years. Adding a couple of vets on the backend pushes young players like Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse down the depth chart, giving them time to develop. Biggest concern remains the depth at C, already among the league's worst and has only gotten shallower with the Gagner trade. With most of the top FA centres gone, the question of how to fill the gaping hole at 2C is an open one. FA options are thin with David Legwand likely the top option. There's also been talk of trading one of the impending RFA D (Petry and Schultz) for a centre. Tough situation, but even with the on-paper improvements we've seen, without making that fix, the Oilers could be looking at filling that hole with Connor MacDavid in a year's time. That's the scene in Oil country: how did your NHL team do? Who were the big winners and losers in free agency and the draft? Does anyone have a hope in hell of unseating Chicago and LA? Why does the Eastern Conference suck so bad and will that ever change? Edited July 4, 2014 by Black Dog Quote
Shady Posted July 4, 2014 Report Posted July 4, 2014 I can't belive that Brooks Orpik got almost $6 million a year from Washington. Ridiculous. Quote
Black Dog Posted July 4, 2014 Author Report Posted July 4, 2014 And Niskanen got $5.75M for seven years. I can't believe anyone looked at Pittsburgh's D and said "yeah, I want that one." Quote
Mighty AC Posted July 4, 2014 Report Posted July 4, 2014 Orpik is a very effective d-man but I wouldn't pay that price for Niskanen. Quote "Our lives begin to end the day we stay silent about the things that matter." - Martin Luther King Jr"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities" - Voltaire
Mighty AC Posted July 4, 2014 Report Posted July 4, 2014 They also made a bit of a splash in free agency, adding D Nikita Nikitin at a very generous $4.5 M for two years, I don't know anything about Nikitin... His defensive numbers look pretty good for a team like Columbus; hopefully they aren't the result of strong partners like maybe Jack Johnson or Fedor Tyutin. At that price I sure the Oil are expecting to up his ice time quite a bit. I hope he can handle it. Quote "Our lives begin to end the day we stay silent about the things that matter." - Martin Luther King Jr"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities" - Voltaire
The_Squid Posted July 4, 2014 Report Posted July 4, 2014 Canucks continue to put lipstick on the pig.... Quote
Boges Posted September 24, 2014 Report Posted September 24, 2014 (edited) Nice cutline Vancouver Sun. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-sun-s-jordan-subban-photo-caption-sparks-outrage-1.2776325 The Vancouver Sun has apologized for posting a photo caption labelling Vancouver Canuck prospect Jordan Subban as the "dark guy in the middle." The photo also appeared on the Province website briefly on Tuesday night after Subban, a Toronto-born defenceman, scored the opening goal against the San Jose Sharks in the Canucks' first preseason NHL game. Sun deputy editor Gillian Burnett and the newspaper changed the caption after concerns about it began to circulate on Twitter. Subban, the youngest brother of Montreal Canadiens' star defenceman, P.K. Subban, was drafted 113th overall by the Canucks in 2013. His other brother Malcolm Subban is a goalie for the AHL's Providence Bruins. Edited September 24, 2014 by Boges Quote
Mighty AC Posted September 26, 2014 Report Posted September 26, 2014 That's hilarious! What the hell were they thinking? It's good of the Subbans not to make a big deal about it though. Quote "Our lives begin to end the day we stay silent about the things that matter." - Martin Luther King Jr"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities" - Voltaire
overthere Posted September 26, 2014 Report Posted September 26, 2014 I don't know anything about Nikitin... His defensive numbers look pretty good for a team like Columbus; hopefully they aren't the result of strong partners like maybe Jack Johnson or Fedor Tyutin. At that price I sure the Oil are expecting to up his ice time quite a bit. I hope he can handle it. Nikitin was not wanted or needed in Columbus because he isn't very good, and did not play much there. Aulie is barely an NHL player and I predict will only make the team if somebody gets hurt. Fayne is an upgrade, a young Ference. The prime benefit to the Oilers from both is that maybe, just maybe they can allow Schultz and Petry to play less minutes and play the transition game they should have been playing. Schultz knows he made a dreadful career mistake in signing with the Oilers and will be gone , perhaps this season. The Oilers did not get Legwand because he didn't want to play here, and took less money in Ottawa. They are about to make another horrible mistake in player development by not sending Dreisatl back to junior. Their centres will be Nugent Hopkins, Dreisatl, and two of these three: Arcobello, Lander, Gordon. Awful. Their defence is a bit better overall though, no more wretched play from the likes of Mark Fraser and Philip Larsen. The goaltending is better too, although neither Scrivens or Fasth has ever had a regular starting job in the NHL. Their forwards still are not good enough. They'll be 13th or 14th by the end, the playoffs are very unlikely. One day they will get to the medicore level. The legacy of Kevin Lowe, Destroyer of Franchises, lives on. Quote Science too hard for you? Try religion!
Boges Posted December 16, 2014 Report Posted December 16, 2014 Remember when people thought the Leafs should hire Dallas Eakins? Neither do I. Quote
overthere Posted December 16, 2014 Report Posted December 16, 2014 Eakins was supposedly a hot commodity when McTavish hired him to- a rookie coach- a four year term. 4 years. And now MacT the Genius is replacing him with another coach with zero NHL experience. As Einstein famously said, insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Here we go again. Of course, getting an experienced, credible NHL coach to sign in Edmonton is at least as hard as signing decent free agents. What same coach with other options would want to end their career with this gong show? By my count the Oilers are now paying three coaches: Krueger until next year, Eakins for another 2 1/2 years, and now Todd Nelson for an undetermined time. The best thing that has happened for MacT lately is that Nikitin is supposedly hurt and is not playing. The Oilers don't need any more reasons for fans to point and laugh and remember who signed this guy to a four year deal for big money . Quote Science too hard for you? Try religion!
guyser Posted December 16, 2014 Report Posted December 16, 2014 Remember when people thought the Leafs should hire Dallas Eakins? Neither do I. I do The consensus is that Eakins isnt the problem, in fact McT said as much a week or so ago. But comes a time the coach has to go since they cannot fire 20 players, and Katz is too stupid to get rid of Lowe Mac and his scouting staff (unless scouts arent being listened too) Eakins should have turned it down, there were others awaiting in the wings to hire him. But one cant blame Eakins for giving it a shot. Two yrs ago the future was especially bright and who wouldnt want to be at the helm for the rise of the Oilers? Hell I sure would. Theres one consolation, the Leafs never looked this bad for this long. Quote
PrimeNumber Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 I sure hope that the Oilers don't win the Conner McDavid sweepstakes and destroy another 1st round draft picks career. If I'm McDavid I'm hoping and praying that Buffalo's streak is short lived and they stay at the bottom so I can get in on that crazy train of talent. Buffalo gets McDavid they make playoffs next year.Hopefully the Jets can beat them tonight. With Trouba, Enstrom and Bogo out of the lineup we are looking rough on the back end. Maybe Kane will finally get it goin' tonight! . Quote “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find your way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”― Bruce Lee
WestCoastRunner Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 I got turned on to NHL hockey after watching some Oilers games back in the 80's. I had also worked with Craig McTavish's dad at one point so for me there was a bit of a connection. I'll never forget watching those games and the magic between the players: coffey, gretzky, anderson, messier etc, it goes on and on. From that point on I was hooked and so were many other Canadian women (Coffey was pretty sweet on the eyes ). Now, however, I am a Canucks fan and looking forward to seeing what magic Linden and Desjardins can bring to the team. Quote I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. - Maya Angelou
PrimeNumber Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 Now, however, I am a Canucks fan and looking forward to seeing what magic Linden and Desjardins can bring to the team. The canucks have already turned it around. You can tell Desjardins has a positive effect on the Sedins. Bringing in Vrbata and Miller has put the team back into 2010-2011 status. Adding some young ducks talent in Bonino and Vey for Kesler was a great move and they're poised to remain a great team with the slew of young talent they have waiting in the ranks. Great time to be a Canucks fan. I was down on Georgia street in 2011 when the riots happened, what a crazy time that was. I managed to get out of there before things got real crazy though. Quote “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find your way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”― Bruce Lee
WestCoastRunner Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 The canucks have already turned it around. You can tell Desjardins has a positive effect on the Sedins. Bringing in Vrbata and Miller has put the team back into 2010-2011 status. Adding some young ducks talent in Bonino and Vey for Kesler was a great move and they're poised to remain a great team with the slew of young talent they have waiting in the ranks. Great time to be a Canucks fan. I was down on Georgia street in 2011 when the riots happened, what a crazy time that was. I managed to get out of there before things got real crazy though. Their last 10 games have been 5-4-1. Their upcoming games have Dallas: 5-4-1, Calgary: 4-6-0, Coyotes: 2-6-2 (Arizona has a hockey team ) Anaheim: 8-2-0: St Jose: 7-2-1 It looks like the strongest challenges will be against Anaheim and San Jose. Quote I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. - Maya Angelou
PrimeNumber Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 Their last 10 games have been 5-4-1. Their upcoming games have Dallas: 5-4-1, Calgary: 4-6-0, Coyotes: 2-6-2 (Arizona has a hockey team ) Anaheim: 8-2-0: St Jose: 7-2-1 It looks like the strongest challenges will be against Anaheim and San Jose. A tough schedule. I wouldn't underestimate Calgary this year or overestimate San Jose. Anaheim is without Perry to so they are missing their leading scorer but still have more than enough firepower. It will be an interesting couple of games. Quote “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find your way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”― Bruce Lee
WestCoastRunner Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 A tough schedule. I wouldn't underestimate Calgary this year or overestimate San Jose. Anaheim is without Perry to so they are missing their leading scorer but still have more than enough firepower. It will be an interesting couple of games. And Canucks are in 2nd place in their division! Quote I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. - Maya Angelou
PrimeNumber Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 And Canucks are in 2nd place in their division! In arguably the toughest division in the league! Save for Arizona and Edmonton of course. Quote “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find your way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”― Bruce Lee
WestCoastRunner Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 In arguably the toughest division in the league! Save for Arizona and Edmonton of course. Arizona! How did that happen? Quote I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. - Maya Angelou
PrimeNumber Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 Arizona! How did that happen? Winnipeg moved from the East to the central division and Arizona got bumped over. Quote “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find your way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”― Bruce Lee
WestCoastRunner Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 Winnipeg moved from the East to the central division and Arizona got bumped over. Actually, what I meant was 'A hockey team in the desert'! Quote I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. - Maya Angelou
PrimeNumber Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 Actually, what I meant was 'A hockey team in the desert'! oh well of course! And nobody knows but Gary Bettman. They should be wearing Nordiques colours by now in my opinion but we'll see when and if that happens. Quote “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find your way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”― Bruce Lee
WestCoastRunner Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 oh well of course! And nobody knows but Gary Bettman. They should be wearing Nordiques colours by now in my opinion but we'll see when and if that happens. I wouldn't mind seeing a team in Seattle. Could be a great rivalry for the Canucks and I'm pretty sure Seattle could support the team. They have football, soccer, baseball and basketball. Quote I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. - Maya Angelou
Mighty AC Posted December 17, 2014 Report Posted December 17, 2014 Actually, what I meant was 'A hockey team in the desert'! Phoenix is the 6th largest city in the US, hence it's a very important TV market for sports leagues seeking national TV deals. Quote "Our lives begin to end the day we stay silent about the things that matter." - Martin Luther King Jr"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities" - Voltaire
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