Last week I was in Calgary and the Ghostbusters was playing on one of the TV stations in my hotel room. The scene where Ray brings the broken down (soon to be Ecto 1) suddenly sparked the notion of, “I know that feeling,” when the scene cut to the expressions on Dr. Venkman’s face. I wondered, “why is this so familiar?” Then it dawned on me; It is because I’m a fan of the Edmonton Oilers.
http://youtu.be/-CPss95p3Ck
In this scene Ray is the management of the Oilers. He decides on a lemon (which he paid way too much for) he feels he can build into something else nobody else sees- a winner. He then proceeds to do a forensic audit and tell Venkman (who in this example is us, the fans) what all the issues are. How many times these past two seasons have your facial expressions matched Bill Murray’s? How many times during a MacT presser?
It is fitting that later in the movie, when Sigourney Weaver first enters the Ghostbusters’ office, there is a shot of Ray working away on the car. However, Ghostbusters is a movie and movies have happy endings. So of course Ray is able to get the Ecto 1 off the ground in a few weeks. Wouldn’t that be nice.
The Edmonton Oilers aren’t a movie and they are an organization in the real world. 9 seasons and counting and nothing is getting better. Even though MacT has only been on the job 18-20 months (can no one nail down an exact timeline?), and had absolutely nothing to do with roster decisions before he was the GM (even though he was a VP in hockey ops and the head coach *sarcasm intended*), the team is actually weaker now than when he started. There is no happy ending coming for this franchise anytime in the near future.
It is time to admit that the construction has gone sideways and dynamite the organization and start over. Have no untouchables; whether it is the players, coaches, or management. Blow the hole thing out and start over. When something has been the utter and complete failure the ‘rebuild’ has been, the organization has to start over from top to bottom. Why would the decision makers and the pieces they put into place be expected to suddenly have better results? It doesn’t make sense.
I have to admit I have chuckled over the past few days when people have stated, “you can’t trade Taylor Hall it will ruin the franchise!” PSSSST- the franchise has already been ruined. It can’t get any worse than a team that challenges for last place overall every season. If trading Hall could bring in (one of) a starting goalie, a number 1 defender, a 1st line centre, or another top 5 pick in a very deep 2015 draft, I would seriously consider the deal if I was in the GM chair. The center, goal, and defense positions are far more integral to a future championship team than a winger. I’m not saying Hall would command that type of return, but if he could why shouldn’t the team consider it? Since RNH plays centre and not the wing he should be the closest thing the team has to an untouchable. However, since the team has been as bad as it has been over the past several seasons there should be no untouchables and every deal at least considered.
Maybe I’m crazy.
However, if you look at most Stanley Cup winning teams they usually have a combination of at least a legitimate #1 centre, a legitimate #1 defenseman, and a legitimate #1 goalie. Look at the recent list:
LA- Kopitar, Doughty, Quick
Chicago- Toews, Keith, Crawford/Niemi
Boston- Bergeron, Chara, Thomas
Pittsburgh- Crosby, Letang, Fleury
Detroit- Datsyuk, Lidstrom, Osgood
How many of those three crucial assets do the Oilers currently have? I’d argue none. RNH looks like he could be a legit #1 centre, but has yet to prove it over a full season. Defense and goal? Forget about it.
As a fan, once a qualified and competent management team is put in place (through a process of interviewing the best candidates possible), I would be in favor of the team completely overhauling the roster and trading or not re-signing virtually every player currently on the NHL roster. Hopefully the trades could bring in a few more high draft picks or some younger proven NHL players while also freeing up cap space (can anyone else believe that the Oilers have been almost paying to the cap for this fiasco?). The team is already 1 point out of last place, so how would it make the hockey worse? The new management team would then completely overhaul the development program and both amateur and pro scouting.
Again. maybe I’m crazy. Maybe MacT can build this team. However, I have little faith in a GM who left his team chronically thin at centre for two straight seasons. Maybe the young core (is it still 3 or has that changed again?) will mature. However, Hall and Eberle and now in season 5 and roughly 1/3 of their careers have now elapsed. How likely is it that they will suddenly be able to pull the team out of the basement? Maybe some of the young defensive prospects will elevate into top pairing guys. However, how likely is it that will occur before Hall, Eberle, and RNH get close to free agency or start demanding trades?
Maybe I’m crazy. Who the hells knows?
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