I hope they keep going all O no D and are increasingly easy to score on. I wonder what the record for straight 1st overall picks is.
I know the Nords drafted three times in a row 1st overall, Lindros refused to play, Sundin was traded for Clark, and Nolan for Ozolinsh. Wonder if the Oilers will end up doing something similar.
Numerous people saying that Mikhail Grigorenko tweeted: "Can't wait to be drafted and play for P.Roy again". And then a few minutes later, he deleted it. LOL!
Numerous people saying that Mikhail Grigorenko tweeted: "Can't wait to be drafted and play for P.Roy again". And then a few minutes later, he deleted it. LOL!
The Oilers can draft all of the player they want, but they'll never be good under the current brain trust.
Eric Belanger? Sheldon Souray? Andy Sutton? Ryan Smyth? Nick Schultz? Nikolai Khabibulin? Retread after retread. No one in that organization has the foresight to get players with upside. They draft potential superstars and surround them with past their prime garbage.
Generally small and weak through the middle doesn't seem to be a recipe for success. I can't recall a team that was built on the wings winning the cup. Senators is the closest I can think of.
It would make more sense for Oilers to trade the pick and get a center/defender this year.
Sens never won a cup. The '95 Devils had Richer, Lemieux, MacLean, and Guerin on the wings with Broten (who they traded for that year) and a young Bobby Holik down the middle. '03 Devils was a similar story, but the moral is that you build down the middle. Yzerman/Fedorov, Sakic/Forsberg, Modano/Nieuwendyk, Arnott/Gomez, Messier/Graves, Lecavalier/Richards, etc.
I'd say I'm worried, but it's one more year of the same tune coming out of Edmonton. It's been interesting to watch the progression of how Oilers fans have dreamed of their top line leading them to glory:
Cogliano-Gagner-Hemsky in 2007
Eberle-Gagner-Hemsky in 2008
Paajarvi-Gagner-Eberle in 2009
Paajarvi-Hall-Eberle in 2010
Hall-RNH-Eberle in 2011
Hall-RNH-Yakupov 2012
will we see McKinnon-RNH-Yakupov in 2013? Maybe Ho-Sang-McKinnon-Yakupov in 2014?
If the salary cap era has shown one thing, it's that Cup winners all manage to win because they have enough cheap talent that they can surround it with expensive talent. It's not enough to have a few high draft spots, you have to get impact players while the aforementioned draftees are still on ELCs and getting paid peanuts. And if there's one thing Edmonton cannot do, it's sign impact players. Nobody wants to sign in Edmonton, nobody wants to be traded to Edmonton. Maybe it's the geography, maybe it's management, more likely its both. But whatever the case, you can't win the Cup when your best free agent signing is Andy Sutton.
I'm not thrilled Edmonton has (insert SICK TOP LINE HERE) but I look at that team and just don't fear them. I could quite easily be wrong, but I'm just not seeing it.
I'd say I'm worried, but it's one more year of the same tune coming out of Edmonton. It's been interesting to watch the progression of how Oilers fans have dreamed of their top line leading them to glory:
Cogliano-Gagner-Hemsky in 2007
Eberle-Gagner-Hemsky in 2008
Paajarvi-Gagner-Eberle in 2009
Paajarvi-Hall-Eberle in 2010
Hall-RNH-Eberle in 2011
Hall-RNH-Yakupov 2012
will we see McKinnon-RNH-Yakupov in 2013? Maybe Ho-Sang-McKinnon-Yakupov in 2014?
If the salary cap era has shown one thing, it's that Cup winners all manage to win because they have enough cheap talent that they can surround it with expensive talent. It's not enough to have a few high draft spots, you have to get impact players while the aforementioned draftees are still on ELCs and getting paid peanuts. And if there's one thing Edmonton cannot do, it's sign impact players. Nobody wants to sign in Edmonton, nobody wants to be traded to Edmonton. Maybe it's the geography, maybe it's management, more likely its both. But whatever the case, you can't win the Cup when your best free agent signing is Andy Sutton.
I'm not thrilled Edmonton has (insert SICK TOP LINE HERE) but I look at that team and just don't fear them. I could quite easily be wrong, but I'm just not seeing it.
It will be interesting, that's for sure. They have enough assets to be in a very good position in the future. It all depends on how well they develop and manage their assets. I think their young guns are a lot more dependable then the old ones were. They were holding onto false hopes before, but they do have their hands on some very talented players.
You gotta feel for CBJ fans, especially with their draft history. To have suffered as they have and then see Edmonton walk away with yet another first has got to sting. Like wearing a bowtie to the barn dance and seeing the slacker soaked in Drakkar Noir go home with Annie Mae. Or something.
The Oilers can draft all of the player they want, but they'll never be good under the current brain trust.
Eric Belanger? Sheldon Souray? Andy Sutton? Ryan Smyth? Nick Schultz? Nikolai Khabibulin? Retread after retread. No one in that organization has the foresight to get players with upside. They draft potential superstars and surround them with past their prime garbage.
Eh what do you expect them to do?
They tried Pronger, who was a great fit... until he wanted out.
They tried going heavily after Hossa.
They tried trading for Heatley (who while not so good now, did reasonably okay in San Jose)
They have to overpay to get players like Khabibulin. I actually don't fault them for that contract.
They tried offer-sheeting Thomas Vanek, and the Sabres matched.
They offer-sheeted Penner who was having a good season with the Ducks and didn't pan out.
While they could have drafted better players, I can't fault them for not trading/signing better players. Even if they had done some of Sherman's moves (depth players for McGinn/Downie/Mueller) they wouldn't be close to a playoff ready team.
Numerous people saying that Mikhail Grigorenko tweeted: "Can't wait to be drafted and play for P.Roy again". And then a few minutes later, he deleted it. LOL!
Habs in full damage control.
We saw his Tweet on live TV , last night . It was : I can't wait to be drafted by the Habs and play again for P. Roy .
