tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677867857097423502.post445577715401539404..comments2023-10-20T04:45:00.350-06:00Comments on Coming Down the Pipe!: Heads Will RollGuy Flaminghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03178739486819659419noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677867857097423502.post-23579913666974520462010-02-01T09:50:50.522-07:002010-02-01T09:50:50.522-07:00Kowe should be fired, but won't be. I would g...Kowe should be fired, but won't be. I would guess he's too good of friends with Katz to have that happen.<br /><br />The lone sacrifice to date should be KP, he's an epic failure. He waqs the man at the draft table until 2006 (correct me if I'm wrong). The evidence of his ability for having an eye for talent is very clear in the AHL roster and the NHL roster. It's missing is what I'm getting at.<br /><br />The best players in Springfield are AHL contracts. None of the Oilers drafts picks in the AHL are very good, and they are few in number. In the NHL the high end talent is missing entirely. None of the Defensive starters were drafted by the Oilers. In goal, JDD was a draft and now DD, but far from having the "?" removed. <br /><br />On the forward lines Cogliano, Gagner, Horcoff, Hemsky, Jacques, Pisani, Pouliot, and Stortini are the Oilers draft picks. One of them is a elgit top 6 forward. $ are bottom 7-12 forewards at best. Cogs and Gags are suspects.<br /><br />KP should go clearly based on the talent he has provided.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16259526834902152625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677867857097423502.post-75686086187192093062010-01-29T15:28:28.793-07:002010-01-29T15:28:28.793-07:00There are a lot of problems with the Edmonton Oile...There are a lot of problems with the Edmonton Oilers right now. Scouting and drafting are not the issue. In fact, they may be the only group that have done consistently above average or better for the last 5+ years.<br /><br />Because of this, its quite clear that if they do go, its to cover for other people's mistakes higher up. Make no mistake, them leaving will make this franchise that much worse, for that much longer.<br /><br />The list of problems in the organization has been growing because the people at the top are still there making poor management decisions. Replace as many carpenters, plumbers, and electricians as you want - if your architect is handing you blueprints drawn free-had with crayons, your house is still going to fall on your head.Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14515416404936106382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677867857097423502.post-86294277019315400602010-01-29T11:12:49.543-07:002010-01-29T11:12:49.543-07:00Great piece of writing here Guy. It seems to me t...Great piece of writing here Guy. It seems to me that senior management continues to get more and more defensive as they see that "the plan" for the organization since the departure of Pronger has snowballed downhill. This season has been coming for a while and Tambellini has made it worse by saying one thing and doing quite another since he assumed the reigns. <br /><br /><br />It would not surprise me if Tambellini made scapegoats to continue to cover for his lack of vision and it would be a shame to let the scouting department go as they ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. PERIOD.<br /><br />But you know what, it's not our money, it's Katz's and he can tell all of us fans to go jump of a building. But if they continue to put out the paranoid crap in the media they are right now they will succeed in alienating the fan base - who've been quite patient up until now.<br /><br />Lowe and Tambellini are succeeding in making Mike Milbury look like a smart GM by comparison.oilerdagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15289837694086379747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677867857097423502.post-47504827928944281492010-01-29T10:53:24.062-07:002010-01-29T10:53:24.062-07:00I continually defend KP and Stu Mac on other forum...I continually defend KP and Stu Mac on other forums/blogs. I do feel that our drafting has significantly improved since KP was hired as head scout, and has taken another quantum leap in recent years as well. That might have to do with luck, but I'm not going to question it. <br /><br />Are there problems with players the Oilers drafted? For sure. But you would be hard pressed to find a team without some stinkers. <br /><br />The problem on this team has very little to do with youth. This team's best forwards are young. I will echo Doug MacLean's sentiments from last night's Oilers brodcast. I've thought the same myself (although my list is a bit different I believe). I think we have a solid core group of players here in: Hemsky, Penner, Gagner, Cogliano, Brule, Potulny, Visnovsky, Stortini, Smid. It's the GM's job to surround that core group with good complementary players, and neither Tambellini or Lowe have done that well at all. I give Tambellini credit for Comrie (I do think that was a very good pickup - mononucleosis aside). But the overpaid group of "complementary players" needs to be unloaded. So bye bye Moreau, Pisani, Horcoff (although unlikely), Nilsson, perhaps Gilbert and/or Grebeshkov, perhaps Souray if the value is there, Strudwick and Staios (although I could handle him staying). <br /><br />Lastly, Khabibulin's 4-year $3.75M contract was a ridiculous decision that Tambellini could get fired on alone. <br /><br />If Prendergast or MacGregor or any scouts are fired and one of Lowe and Tambellini are not, I'll be pretty disappointed in this team. The scouting staff (since KP started as head scout) has done a good job of putting together a good set of prospects to dip into: Hemsky, Stoll, Greene, Stortini (hey, he's great at his role), *maybe* Dubnyk, Cogliano, Chorney, Petry, Peckham, Omark, Gagner, Eberle, MPS (maybe luck there), possibly Roy....<br /><br />They did alright and provided this team with enough strong young players. It's the group that management has surrounded them with that hasn't been impressive.<br /><br />If I'm picking a human sacrifice, I'll say Kevin Lowe, just so we can be certain he's not still influencing Tambellini too much (although I don't think he is).Rackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08452958021463270825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677867857097423502.post-12561922520450276752010-01-29T00:14:16.790-07:002010-01-29T00:14:16.790-07:00@ George B
I agree with about 90% of you wrote - ...@ George B<br /><br />I agree with about 90% of you wrote - any intelligent Oilers fan does...<br /><br /><br />On a side note, the Oilers have NOT failed at the draft table over the past five years in the first two rounds - very few better players were drafted after our choices.<br /><br />Considering 3rd round & later draft picks are a fluke if they play in the NHL, I would consider the Oilers scouts to be in the top 5 in the league...<br /><br />The core in the pipeline is there - just trade for a few top 10 picks this year then let our procurement department fill in the holes.<br /><br />While filling in the missing pieces on the team with leaders as the 1979 Oilers did (i.e. Fogolin)...Gordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16014280331037833079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677867857097423502.post-25217906059214063472010-01-28T22:27:10.941-07:002010-01-28T22:27:10.941-07:00Guy,
You and I both know that the errors in this ...Guy,<br /><br />You and I both know that the errors in this organization go long further than drafting.<br /><br />Do I think that KP has done a great job? No, I don't think so. Procurement, minor leagues, absolutely horrible, horrible personnel decisions, chasing after star players while ignoring faceoff and PK deficiencies, 4 puck moving defensemen in your top four with no shutdown pair.<br /><br />Three headed goalie monsters at XMAS, a goalie swirling down the porcelain throne that was hung on to way too long.<br /><br />Personal vendettas against GMs, players, agents.<br /><br />If I am Katz...I would fire Lowe, Tambellini and KP...and continue the bloodletting until all involved in the establishment of a last place NHL, AHL, WHL, ECHL organization are purged.<br /><br />I would allow the GM to interview Quinn and Renney and decide if he wants to keep or start again.<br /><br />I tried to sell my tickets that I got for my birthday vs. Vancouver this month. $100 for $155 pair of tickets with no bites. Disappointed, I had to go to the game.<br /><br />On top of it all, Tambellini and Lowe obviously can't read because somehow it gets out that this organization might be interested in Jagr. That alone should get someone chewed a new ass.<br /><br />I would like to see Macgregor stay, let the new GM decide on coaches, oh, and show Laforge the door as well.<br /><br />In player personnel, we need at least 9 new faces next year. Problem is we won't be able to rid ourselves of all 9 that should go.<br /><br />It is ugly out there....and won't get better anytime soon. Not even a dozen beer is going to make this gal pretty.George Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12899502208316265871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6677867857097423502.post-34939446022879200312010-01-28T22:18:03.674-07:002010-01-28T22:18:03.674-07:00Oilers are 30th and are a mess in terms of players...Oilers are 30th and are a mess in terms of players and contracts. Drafting, I doubt anyone credibly can claim they're been worse than 15th. Their scouting and drafting, I think, is arguably the part that is working best right now.<br /><br /><i>So obviously they have to fix what ain't broke, rather than address, you know, the <b>long list of actual problems</b>.</i><br /><br />The only way I see this is the right choice is if somehow the same guys were insisting that Tambellini sign Khabibulin, and that Lowe sign Nylander and take Lupul over Perry,<br /><br />I think there's a good chance they fail to read the paying public well enough and the sacrifices won't be enough. At least last year they gave a good show by hiring a thousand big-name coaches and kicking the widely disliked MacTavish out. There just isn't anyone high profile enough to hire in the scouting department to cover up the stink.<br /><br />Unless, of course, Gretzky is the next head of scouting. Admit it, that just made your stomach do a flip flop.oilswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16430660408872011151noreply@blogger.com