2021/22 Edmonton Oilers

[TAS]

I'm thinking they thought of it as an 'Oilers' jersey they were throwing over in disgust as opposed to a McDavid jersey and didn't care what name was on the back of it.

 

[IanO]

A good overview.

Something Needs to Happen

Paging Ken Holland, paging Ken Holland. Cleanup on aisle 22. Urgent clean up needed on Aisle 22. To say the Oilers are struggling is an understatement.

oilersnation.com

 

[Edmontonian]

I always hated the idea of throwing jerseys on the ice. It's rude, stupid and accomplishes nothing. I can understand the concept of wanting to "force managements hand" or "show how upset the fans are" but here is a timeline of what you did:

1) You at one point bought a jersey... which is exactly what they want you to do
2) You bought a ticket to the game... which is exactly what they want you to do
3) You embarrassed not only the management but also the true fans of the team, and if your goal is to make things worse, congratulations? I'm no sports psychologist but I have a feeling when the players see a jersey thrown onto the ice it doesn't exactly spark them into playing the best hockey of their lives, it probably gets them down
4) Your jersey throwing is not going to force anything, these are professionals dealing with millions of dollars and the livelihoods of people, they are not going to work any quicker because of something so minuscule as a couple of jerseys thrown on the ice
5) What are the chances that when the team eventually starts doing well again and probably ends up making the playoffs, you buy another jersey? Probably fairly high (and most definitely higher than they should be)... and guess what, thats exactly what they want you to do

 

[Stevey_G]

I always hated the idea of throwing jerseys on the ice. It's rude, stupid and accomplishes nothing. I can understand the concept of wanting to "force managements hand" or "show how upset the fans are" but here is a timeline of what you did:

1) You at one point bought a jersey... which is exactly what they want you to do
2) You bought a ticket to the game... which is exactly what they want you to do
3) You embarrassed not only the management but also the true fans of the team, and if your goal is to make things worse, congratulations? I'm no sports psychologist but I have a feeling when the players see a jersey thrown onto the ice it doesn't exactly spark them into playing the best hockey of their lives, it probably gets them down
4) Your jersey throwing is not going to force anything, these are professionals dealing with millions of dollars and the livelihoods of people, they are not going to work any quicker because of something so minuscule as a couple of jerseys thrown on the ice
5) What are the chances that when the team eventually starts doing well again and probably ends up making the playoffs, you buy another jersey? Probably fairly high (and most definitely higher than they should be)... and guess what, thats exactly what they want you to do

I personally like it! It puts attention on problems on a team. It's also most likely the measure taken by a person who's incredibly passionate about the team, so much that he or she cannot take a break, and they finally get to a point where enough is enough. Is it logical or rational? No, but that's the point. It's a sign that enough's enough. And I'm willing to bet those people are legitimately DONE with forking out ludicrous amounts of money for a subpar product - good for them.

Sadly though, this is not an effort issue. This is a regression to the mean. All the analytics pointed this year to an absolute tire fire as we have one of the worst D-cores in the entire league. I hope we can make the playoffs, but I also wouldn't be surprised if we tank to bottom 5.

 

[Edmontonian]

Regarding Ian's topic of McDavid (or Draisaitl) wanting out;

as the days goes on it's obviously becoming more likely. I still think we probably make the playoffs but I remember saying at the start of the year that for the first time ever it felt like a guarantee that the Oilers are a playoff team... it's not anymore, and McDavid and Draisaitl probably feel the same way I do regarding that. Draisaitl has had his issues with the media lately, McDavid hasn't been producing, he's clearly lost some sort of focus or motivation. However with all that being said, I still see no true sign that either of them want out immediately. Of course if this losing continues, if we miss the playoffs and they don't like the changes the organization makes in the offseason, it's going to become in my eyes likely that they want out, but not yet.

There are a few things to be considered, the first one is that it will slightly tarnish the legacy of 2 future hall of famers. Now I understand that sounds stupid but for a player like McDavid especially, but not being able to succeed with your team looks bad on you. In my opinion it isn't at all his fault, but all the greatest players in the game won with the team who drafted them. Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe, Orr, Crosby are probably the guys McDavid most fits in with, generational talent and hockey god. They all won with the teams who drafted them (or their first teams). Most were put into a situation where the team who drafted them desperately needed a turnaround and they were able to accomplish that, as stupid as it sounds if McDavid wants his name up there with those guys he sorta needs to do the same, and he knows that.

The more important thing I have to say regarding the topic is that it wouldn't go down quietly. When a star player wants out, it's a big deal. People find out, they report on it like crazy and everybody knows about it. Jack Eichel is the most recent and prime example of that. To go along with my point nothing in the interviews or on the ice tells me they want a trade. In the interviews they are the same as always, referring to everything as "we" (as in the team) and not throwing any teammates under the bus (knowing they will be a part of that locker room). On the ice yes they have been struggling to produce, but when a player wants out that players stops trying so hard. McDavid and Draisaitl are both trying, they are fighting for the team and are clearly frustrated. You don't want to frustrate your star players but frustration at least shows that they care.

In my opinion as it stands right now, they are frustrated and upset, but they are not ready to request a trade, they will probably be here for the remainder of their contracts and if the team still isn't a top 5 contender by the time Draisaitl's deal is up (2024/25) then they will leave in free agency (similar to John Tavares).

If they request a trade in the very near future I wouldn't be shocked, but I would be slightly surprised.

My personal take, as much as it pains me to say it, they really should leave. They deserve so much better, we've wasted enough of their time. Both are in the primes of their careers, the media here sucks, their coach has lost the room yet still has a job, Holland clearly did not construct a good team with the 26 million (A HUGE AMOUNT IN THIS LEAGUE) he had this offseason and Bob Nicholson also still somehow has a job. Only way this situation improves is if we get lucky, and thats not a great thing to bet your career on. It's also cold and kinda boring so really we don't even get those minor perks here in Edmonton

 

[Edmontonian]

I personally like it! It puts attention on problems on a team. It's also most likely the measure taken by a person who's incredibly passionate about the team, so much that he or she cannot take a break, and they finally get to a point where enough is enough. Is it logical or rational? No, but that's the point. It's a sign that enough's enough. And I'm willing to bet those people are legitimately DONE with forking out ludicrous amounts of money for a subpar product - good for them.

Sadly though, this is not an effort issue. This is a regression to the mean. All the analytics pointed this year to an absolute tire fire as we have one of the worst D-cores in the entire league. I hope we can make the playoffs, but I also wouldn't be surprised if we tank to bottom 5.

Thats fair to say enough is enough, and you're right it's not meant to be logical/rational which is where I struggle sometimes because I make the majority of my decisions based off of logic, so thank you for opening my eyes to that a bit.

With that being said though if you really want to force change maybe don't buy a ticket to the game . That would do a lot more work if the team stopped making money than if you made them look bad, thats how you truly force a businesses hand. Again though, probably thinking too logically.

Like you said the fans who do it are extremely passionate, believe me on this one, if you're willing to waste hundreds of dollars to do that because you have so much passion for a sports team, you'll waste hundreds more, wouldn't be surprised to see 2/3 people who threw a jersey last night to be wearing one again this time next year.

 

[Stevey_G]

Thats fair to say enough is enough, and you're right it's not meant to be logical/rational which is where I struggle sometimes because I make the majority of my decisions based off of logic, so thank you for opening my eyes to that a bit.

With that being said though if you really want to force change maybe don't buy a ticket to the game . That would do a lot more work if the team stopped making money than if you made them look bad, thats how you truly force a businesses hand. Again though, probably thinking too logically.

Like you said the fans who do it are extremely passionate, believe me on this one, if you're willing to waste hundreds of dollars to do that because you have so much passion for a sports team, you'll waste hundreds more, wouldn't be surprised to see 2/3 people who threw a jersey last night to be wearing one again this time next year.

Just wondering what your observation has been with people around you? You strike me as a very informed and savvy Oilers fan. I've got some friends who were once so passionate about the game they could probably scout for a living. They don't really watch games that much anymore unless it's in the background of a social gathering. I myself didn't even know they Florida game happened until my earlier comment.

 

[Edmontonian]

Just wondering what your observation has been with people around you? You strike me as a very informed and savvy Oilers fan. I've got some friends who were once so passionate about the game they could probably scout for a living. They don't really watch games that much anymore unless it's in the background of a social gathering. I myself didn't even know they Florida game happened until my earlier comment.

Personally I only have 1 friend in real life who is huge on the Oilers, because in my generation (I'm currently 18) most kids are basketball fans, which tends to happen when the Edmonton Oilers suck for your entire childhood. Online though I have met a few Oiler fans who are very passionate and for the most part they are laughing at the situation and trying to think of possible solutions (mostly using capfriendly) as they dream of waking up and replacing Ken Holland tomorrow morning.

I'm not going to lie, with how stubborn the people in this organization are I don't see the situation improving much over the next 5 years because it's just going to be a never ending cycle of poor management decisions unless like I mentioned earlier we get lucky. In the short term (next year) it's really hard to improve this team due to Ken Hollands irritating habit of signing literally everyone to a 2 year deal. This offseason was where we would become a legitimate contender but Holland blew it, and now our cap situation doesn't look great. In the long term I don't mean to be cynical but eventually guys like Katz, Nicholson, Holland will retire or pass away and a younger generation will take control starting from Katz' children (assuming they don't sell), and then we will probably see a change for the better (I really hope its for the better). That likely occurs after McDavid is no longer a member of the Oilers though.

With that being said it's not hopeless, Hollands drafting is excellent and a lot of those prospects are coming up, the question becomes will Holland be able to sign them to good contracts. If he is, and he does the right thing and promotes Jay Woodcroft to NHL head coach, we could be a contender, but thats a lot of ifs. Perhaps Holland misses the playoffs, loses his job and this time Bob Nicholson does hire the next Bill Zito, we could be what the Florida Panthers are right now by the time McDavid is 27. Again, he'd probably go out and hire a good old Hockey Canada former cup winner, but it is noteworthy that at one point Bill Zito (a top GM in this league) was at the top of Nicholson's list until Holland became an option, so Nicholson at least has some sense of what a good GM looks like he's just an idiot.

On the topic of jersey throwing it speaks more to an individuals personality than it does to how much they care for a sports team, some passionate fans will be like me and dislike it, others will go out and do it, some more casual fans would shake their heads over how much money is being wasted, and others would buy a ticket specifically to do that just because they want the rush and a memory to have.

 

[Gronk!]

It's been a while since we heard La Bamba playing on HNIC!

 

[IanO]

Problem solved!

We now return you to our regularly scheduled season and move forward!

 

[Edmontonian]

After getting thrown under the bus and crapped over all month long Mikko Koskinen saves Dave Tippett's job, how poetic. Leon Draisaitl (2-2-4 on the night) said it right, Mikko was our best player tonight, with 44 saves and a lot of high danger scoring chances stopped. Fairly poor performance from the team in general, however we also played great against Florida and lost 6-0, that's hockey, a win is a win and we really needed one. Couldn't have it any better than in the Battle of Alberta, let's hope this win changes our fortunes and we can get onto a desperately needed win streak.

Other notes include Evan Bouchard with 2 PP goals, almost as if everyone besides our own coach knew that he should have that spot over Barrie months ago. Came back from 2-0 down, chasing the game still a major issue for us. RNH, Hyman, Smith all still out. Next game another important one (Jan 25th against Canucks).

 

[IanO]

The puck hit him a lot! Granted he finally made those 2 or even 3 saves to hold the game, but a few of us watching last night are or were goalies and his positioning, reactions, recovery and puck awareness were still horrific.

I'd love for a panel to breakdown his play from last night's game.,

 

[The_Cat]

I think Perlini could also be full-time in the Oilers lineup.

 

[Edmontonian]

The puck hit him a lot! Granted he finally made those 2 or even 3 saves to hold the game, but a few of us watching last night are or were goalies and his positioning, reactions, recovery and puck awareness were still horrific.

I'd love for a panel to breakdown his play from last night's game.,

He's a below average goaltender in the NHL yes, but he's not that bad, as a passionate fan I've also ripped on him in the past(as have I with almost every played on this roster), but the hate for this guy is way too much. People act like he's the main problem when the poor guy is just a standard backup goaltender, he isn't supposed to be getting this many starts but our supposed #1 has been injured all year long because our GM signed a 40 year old. The Sportsnet panel did talk about him a bit last night and Kevin Bieksa did rip on him.... directly after Kelly Hrudey (former NHL goalie) spoke about mental health for goaltenders. Which for Koskinen is probably pretty bad, when your own coach clearly favours other options over you and blames you for losses in interviews, and then the annoying media team here calls for a new goalie after every loss. It's also not his fault he is being paid 4.5 million, why would he take a pay cut? He was playing well at the time and still new to the squad. His agent got him a lucrative deal that no competent GM in the league would've signed, good on his agent, bad on our front office.

Yes he didn't look like a rock by any means last night and you can call him out on whatever you want, but at the end of the day our defence wasn't good and he stopped 44 pucks, and plenty of high danger chances. The puck stayed out of our net and we won the game, can't ask for much more out of your backup.

Goaltending is an issue for this team, but Koskinen himself is not the issue. Ken Holland needs to find a goaltender for Koskinen to backup, a role which he consistently plays well (playing ~30 games a season).

 

[TAS]

Was definitely risky of Oilers management to go with Smith this year (and same tandem) - but Smith did have one of his better years ever last season and the hope was he could do it again.

Koskinen was better than Markstrom last night though and that was difference as Calgary had more quality chances.