The day the "Rebuild" was announced, Lowe and Tambo got stupid drunk. Laughing and high fiving each other. They knew they just got themselves at least 3 or 4 years of being able to sit on their ***** and do nothing.
So we're either picking up a can't miss d-man or another can't miss center.
This has to mean we'll win the cup next year, because really... how could a team with THAT much skill loose?
Seriously. I want Barkov, but it seems like we're going to get something even better than that.
surely you jest. adding an 18 year phenom can't help a 30th place team, but adding that and a 20 year old rookie Dman (Kelfbom), along with another 4th line forward or 7th dman will surely catapolt us to the playoffs.
Not for Edmonton, they shouldnt just do it, they need to do it in order to evovle. Putting in more unexperienced young players will only make the team worse.
Its not crazy talk, its the reality of Edmonton Oilers. No 18 year old kid is going to turn Edmonton around.
That's why God created free agency. A good GM also knows how to make trades without giving up his most talented players. The big 5 should not be available at all unless something ridiculous is coming back.
I'm one of those people that would advocate trading away Yak if it can bring in a top pairing LD or a big 2-way centre that can do everything well, but I've felt that way since the day we drafted him, not because the Oil are tanking again.
I love the idea of having an "Ovechkin Lite" on the Oilers, but the problem is that I just don't think it's what they need. History doesn't show many teams winning with Ovechkin type players so much as the Datsyuks, Malkins or Lidstroms of the world.
If Yakupov turns into a Russian Stamkos out east but I got my Lidstrom, or Pronger 2.0 in return when I dealt him, I can live with it.
I'm dead set against trading any of the other youngin's, Yak is the one chip I feel could bring in what the Oil need going forward for the long term, not just for now. I'm only trading him if I get that piece that I can only find trading for with a potential superstar (eg. Huberdeau, Gudbranson).
Just draft Jones and you've got Pronger 2.0... or one of Monahan/MacKinnon/Barkov if Jones is off the board and you've got the 2nd line centre the Oilers need. Keep Yakupov and you've got the best of both worlds.
Yak isn't going to bring back a Malkin, Datsyuk or Pronger.
This team SUCKS offensively and throwing away Yak who WILL be an elite scorer in the NHL isn't a way to help address that.
Management has to do their job by trading OTHER pieces away rather than their most elite talent.
Trading Yak is a cop out move. Same with trading the 1st this year which is likely to be an elite prospect (Jones/MacKinnon/Barkov/Monahan). Don't let management off the hook by throwing out their golden assets.
They need to spend the money and make other roster moves to complement these young players... not throw them away and then spin their wheels endlessly trying to find that elite talent again.
I agree I don't think that we should be trading the pick away if we can draft Jones, BArkov or Monahan. All three of those players is what we need. Yes, they are young but you didn't see PITs trade away Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury. They kept them and now they have a fantastic team. I am not saying that any of these players are Crosby or Malkin but we are do a rebuild and are still two more seasons away to compete after this one. Why would we get rid of a player because they are too young when we are rebuilding for the future.
This makes players like Hemsky and Gagner expendable which will get us assets to get the other players that we need to be better. Think about a core of:
Hall
RNH
Eberle
Yak
Schultz
Klefbom
Jones or Barkov or Monahan
That is a very nice core to start and makes it easier to fill in the rest.
Hall, RNH, Eberle
PRV, Barkov, Yak
We are set for the next 12 yrs.
Jones is a right shot and so is Schultz, does this cause problems and means that they have to play on seperate pairings.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having 2 potentially elite d-men playing on separate pairings.
And Jones is a far far far more promising prospect than Schultz. If you using your pick and he is on the board, you take him absolutely no matter who else is on the team.
and about to be surpassed. 30th, 30th, 29th and probably 29th has got to be the worst stretch of all time.
when (if) this is over, the Oiler franchise will be able to best the best and worst teams ever.
You can thank a few other teams for that honor - Senators ('92-'95 seasons), Lightening ('97-'00 seasons), Penguins ('01-'05 seasons) and Sharks ('91-'96 seasons).
So is Jones the real deal at #1? We've had endless discussions over the years about defenseman who didn't pan out in the top 2-3. Is Jones the guy that will make Stauffer put away his stat about how practically every dman drafted in the top 5 over the last several years no longer plays for the team that drafted him?
i don't know, and anybody who tells you anything else is likely lying
dmen are just that hard to predict, guys like hedman and larsson were very well thought of going into the draft, and haven't exactly lit the world on fire in their early years ... both are solid players though, and would easily be top-4 guys in edmonton btw, just to be clear (hedman would be a top-pairing guy for us)... i'm just saying that the doughty's of the world really are the rarity
if two players are roughly equal, i take the forward each and every time... i just don't think that mackinnon has enough pure offence and drouin enough size for either of them to be considered even with jones at this point
If they pick Jones will he be playing in the NHL next year? I feel very worried about rushing a defenseman.
yeah, this is my feeling as well... i don't think jones should be in the NHL next year, but recently picked loterry dmen have mostly all made the jump ... below are the dman chosen top-5 since 2008, and NHL GP played the next year
2008 - doughty (81), bogosian (47), pietrangelo (8), schenn (70)
2009 - hedman (74)
2010 - gudbranson (0)
2011 - larsson (65)
2012 - murray, reianhart, rielly (it appears that all will likely not play any NHL games this year)
of the 10 dmen taken, 5 played significant time with the NHL club the following year.... none of them were #1 overall picks, with maybe only hedman, larsson and doughty having the pre-draft hype that jones currently has.... edmonton likely has a much worse defence than pretty much any of the teams that drafted these players had at the time.... if edmonton somehow ends up taking jones, barring injury, he'll be playing in the NHL next year
Well all you can go by is what scouts say and what you see with your own eyes.
Any player can bust. What I've seen of Jones (WJC mainly) shows he's a very solid dman. He has the size and defensive/offensive skills to be an all-around #1 dman. His ceiling is very high and the chances of him not being at the very minimum a top 4 dman are essentially zero in my view.
If he's not available then one of the top ranked centres would be excellent picks but Jones has the highest ceiling at his position and is the best choice at #1 imo. The fact that he's BPA and also fills a need for the Oilers makes him an easy pick.
If they pick Jones will he be playing in the NHL next year? I feel very worried about rushing a defenseman.
He's definitely talented enough to be. He won't be a 1st pairing minute eater yet, but he'd be more than capable of playing bottom pairing with time on the PP/PK. Maybe more
yeah, this is my feeling as well... i don't think jones should be in the NHL next year, but recently picked loterry dmen have mostly all made the jump ... below are the dman chosen top-5 since 2008, and NHL GP played the next year
2008 - doughty (81), bogosian (47), pietrangelo (8), schenn (70)
2009 - hedman (74)
2010 - gudbranson (0)
2011 - larsson (65)
2012 - murray, reianhart, rielly (it appears that all will likely not play any NHL games this year)
of the 10 dmen taken, 5 played significant time with the NHL club the following year.... none of them were #1 overall picks, with maybe only hedman, larsson and doughty having the pre-draft hype that jones currently has.... edmonton likely has a much worse defence than pretty much any of the teams that drafted these players had at the time.... if edmonton somehow ends up taking jones, barring injury, he'll be playing in the NHL next year
To be fair, Murray would be if it wasn't for his injury
Honestly you can't not pick Jones because you think the Oilers will **** him up by throwing him into the lineup too soon and will stunt his development.
Management needs to clean house this summer and expel parts of their d that aren't effective...
JSchultz
Smid
Petry
Fistric
NSchultz
Whitney
Potter
Peckham
Wipe out the bottom half of that list of 8... add 2 more reliable vet dmen through trades/UFA and then bringing in a rookie like Klefbom/Jones(if they are lucky enough to draft him) doesn't look so bad.
Justin Schultz is being forcefed 1st pairing minutes as a rookie. If Klefbom/Jones can be fed smaller minutes I see no reason why they can't be used on the roster.
Other teams use rookie dmen in 3rd pairing and 7th dman spots... that's something the Oil should be doing as well but they lack the depth to do it. They need to make the acquisitions to make that environment possible with their moves this summer.
Honestly you can't not pick Jones because you think the Oilers will **** him up by throwing him into the lineup too soon and will stunt his development.
Management needs to clean house this summer and expel parts of their d that aren't effective...
JSchultz
Smid
Petry
Fistric
NSchultz
Whitney
Potter
Peckham
Wipe out the bottom half of that list of 8... add 2 more reliable vet dmen through trades/UFA and then bringing in a rookie like Klefbom/Jones(if they are lucky enough to draft him) doesn't look so bad.
Justin Schultz is being forcefed 1st pairing minutes as a rookie. If Klefbom/Jones can be fed smaller minutes I see no reason why they can't be used on the roster.
Other teams use rookie dmen in 3rd pairing and 7th dman spots... that's something the Oil should be doing as well but they lack the depth to do it. They need to make the acquisitions to make that environment possible with their moves this summer.
It'd be a mistake to ditch N. Schultz. He just needs a more reasonable cap hit and to be playing on the bottom pairing with Fistric
I agree I don't think that we should be trading the pick away if we can draft Jones, BArkov or Monahan. All three of those players is what we need. Yes, they are young but you didn't see PITs trade away Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury. They kept them and now they have a fantastic team. I am not saying that any of these players are Crosby or Malkin but we are do a rebuild and are still two more seasons away to compete after this one. Why would we get rid of a player because they are too young when we are rebuilding for the future.
This makes players like Hemsky and Gagner expendable which will get us assets to get the other players that we need to be better. Think about a core of:
Hall
RNH
Eberle
Yak
Schultz
Klefbom
Jones or Barkov or Monahan
That is a very nice core to start and makes it easier to fill in the rest.
Hall, RNH, Eberle
PRV, Barkov, Yak
We are set for the next 12 yrs.
I agree with this. IMO, alot of people are overeacting to the Oil being so bad this year. Realistically, teams do not go from the basement to the playoffs in one year as many people inside and outside of the city were predicting. Honestly, I think Oiler fans should be happy that we are going to get another phenomonal player to build for the future and round out the roster. Is it a bit disconcerting to see the effort that goes into some of the Oiler's games and the wild inconsistencies in some of the play that we have seen this year? Yes. However, I think in five years that all Oiler fans will be happy that we snatched another top flight player in the draft this year rather than making the playoffs.
