Showing posts with label Craig MacTavish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Craig MacTavish. Show all posts

Monday, August 4, 2014

Summer questions in 'Oilerland'













As mentioned in my last blog, we will take some time today to discuss some questions that are out there in Oilerland. The questions range from great ones to ridiculous ones. I am no expert but will take the time to shoot off my views and perspective to you in the best way I know how, through Oilersjambalaya.

It may be a long time off of the ice for the Oilers but their fans feel it even more. At least the players got their pay cheques and can enjoy some rest but for fans of the Edmonton Oilers hockey club, it has been more of the same and every year they don't make the playoffs it gets more and more difficult to stomach and enjoy supporting.

Oilers fans carry a very broad spectrum of views. You have the fanatical 'were going to win the cup real soon' ones, to the 'this team sucks and will never win the cup' folks. In between you have the bandwagon jumpers and the casual 'ho-hum' we will see how it is going 20 games into the season fan.

Here are some interesting questions being asked about the Edmonton Oilers hockey club.

What is going to happen with picking up 1 more centerman for that pivot position?

There is a small % chance that MacT finds a last minute tryout for a centerman to come to training camp but likely it will be Lander, Arcobello and Draisaitl fighting it out for the final two spots on the club. The only way a decent centerman (one that is a shoe-in to play better then what they already got) comes into camp is if MacT can pull off a trade due to a team's restraints but more likely a third line centre who can occasionally fill in for a 2nd line. No sense bringing in another Boyd Gordon type player we already got him.

Will Ramsey make any difference with the Oilers coaching staff?

I find this question interesting as there are two frames of thought. We can say yes but then there are those who say the assistant coach has very little impact on the game. If that were true then we would have to argue that moving out Smith and Buchberger was not needed. Why? Cause if assistant coaches don't change the outcome of games why bother ever changing them? IMO, assistant coaches are more about team synergy. If the coaching team connects well and is in the same wheelhouse then it's a recipe for success and that is what the Oilers are looking for, the right chemistry. Yes, I think Ramsey brings to the team what Renney had brought and even more.

Can the Oilers make the playoffs this year?

Absolutely they can but will they? I do give them a 50/50 chance of making it happen but it will depend how they get out of the gate. It will require a 75% winning percentage over the first 20 games. So 15 wins and 5 losses? Yup! The consistency early on would be a morale boost and confidence booster and likely would show themselves they can win. Later in the season could prove difficult but if your winning 75% of the games 25% of the way into the season I doubt you fall below the 55% the rest of the way. That would give the Oilers a final record approximately about and 48-32-1-1. That would come to about 97 point season. That my friends is a playoff spot. Do I think it will happen? Nope, I suspect they come out with about 11 wins, 7 losses and 2 overtime losses giving them 24 points in their first 20 games. If they start at that % of winning only I would guess they pick up slightly as the season goes on and end up with a more likely record of 46-36-1-1. That would give them 93 points. That would put them right at the 7-10 place finish in the western conference.

What is the chances that the Oilers will be a lottery team again in 2015 when Conner McDavid is available?

Read last question and answer again. No way on God's green earth does Edmonton select the #1 overall pick this next year unless they traded for it and that will not be happening this year. Could they get lucky and draw his name still. Yes, but maybe a 2% chance it happens which means, nope!

Will and should Draisaitl make the Edmonton Oilers if they don't bring in another centre to compete for the 2nd and 3rd line spot?

Leon Draisaitl will and should make the Edmonton Oilers hockey club this season. Please don't keep giving me the he is too young and the Oilers are wasting his ELC and he needs more time to develop crap. If the Oilers had more high end centres in their organization then I would say yes he would be going back, however even bringing in a centre like Jordon Stall would still have Draisaitl fighting for a 3rd line role with Arcobello and Lander. Guess who wins in that scenario? Yeah, Draisaitl has stayed in North America to train and be ready in camp. He knows has development coaches who will be working on the area's of weakness in his game and has a leg up on most his competition already in his size and skill. As long as he can get 12-14 mins a game he will do fine. He already showed well the the WHC playing for Germany and handled himself like a man (wait, he is a man and is built like a pretty big man).

Can Bogdan Yakimov replace what Anton Lander was originally thought to bring to the Oilers club?

Very good question! As much as I always liked Lander, he may be moved to another team as a depth prospect real soon. This is his last year to make or break the Oilers. Yakimov has a ways to go to still catch up but his size and skill looks to be Bogdan's asset. 1 year development and I think we see Bogdan playing regularly for the Oilers franchise. Say goodbye to Lander and hello Yakimov! Yeah I believe he is the new replacement of hope as the Oilers future 3rd line centre. That is...for now anyway. If Bogdan is too play in that role for the Oilers it will be easy tell in how he competes and fares this season. a bad year development wise would derail that plan altogether. I know some players take more time to development but my 'gut' tells me we will know pretty quick if Yakimov is the real deal.

What's your take on these questions? Where do you feel the Oilers are headed heading into this 2014/15 season? Give us your take or perspective even if it's different. It's a slow summer folks, we need something to discuss. If your reading this it means your still hungry for more hockey talk and if your not reading this....yeah exactly, no need to answer cause you didn't read the article anyway.

My next series of blogs we will start to look further into the prospects, 'Bubble, Prospect or Suspect' series. In the meantime keep enjoying your summer and we will touch base soon again.

You can follow me on twitter for more information on prospects and hockey related news at www.twitter.com/revingev


Saturday, April 5, 2014

Dallas Eakins and Todd Nelson to trade positions?

Ok, before i am crucified for starting a ridiculous rumour and everybody starts freaking out, let me explain. Is it even possible that the Oilers organization could actually flip these two coaches? I have searched the Internet and tried to find if this rumour has been swirling anywhere. I did not come up with this idea on my own. In fact, last night after speaking with someone who is a little more in the know, I started to examine the thought of this as a potential possibility. This is someone that has been involved in hockey for sometime (including the coaching fraternity). There is a lot of reasons why this makes no sense at all and lots of reasons why this could be a really good idea. I am not stating this as a legitimate rumour but wanting to at least examine this closer.

Let's examine the pros and cons and the information that has occurred over the last couple years before just tossing this possibility aside.

Jonathan Willis has a interesting read on OKC Barons bench Boss Todd Nelson http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/03/08/would-todd-nelson-be-a-good-fit-on-next-years-edmonton-oilers-coaching-staff/

While I agree with Jonathan that adding Nelson to the current staff could be a good thing, Todd Nelson himself in a article written by Ryan Dittrick would prefer Head Coaching in the AHL to being a assistant in the NHL as he has already been a assistant coach with the Atlanta Thrashers. http://oilers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=636453

To further add to Ryan's interview with Todd Nelson. Robert TychKowski also quoted Todd nelson but only after he was not selected for the Oilers Head Job. In this interview he speaks about opportunity and it does not sound like a coach who wants to take a couple years as a assistant coach in the NHL for only a maybe position. http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/07/04/despite-being-overlooked-in-the-edmonton-oilers-head-coach-hunt-okc-barons-head-coach-todd-nelson-positive-his-chance-will-come--somewhere

Where does that leave us since MacT has gone on record as saying Dallas Eakins is not going away? Terry Jones reports on this. http://www.edmontonsun.com/2014/02/25/edmonton-oilers-gm-craig-mactavish-gives-strong-vote-of-confidence-for-head-coach-dallas-eakins

Mike Baldwin, a reporter in OKC when interviewing Todd Nelson himself, quoted much of the same as our local guys except does mention the possibility in a couple years as working as a assistant coach.
http://newsok.com/todd-nelsons-road-to-the-nhl-runs-through-oklahoma-city/article/3714464

Enough on the articles written. What are some common threads we are hearing or seeing on this team and around the city of Edmonton and in behind closed doors that leaks still seem to come out from?

What do we know? Dallas Eakins has seen this team's Powerplay drop significantly with a even better team this season then the previous. The team has dropped significantly in the standings looking to have taken a step backwards once again. We also know Barons head coach Nelson has continually had to deal with his best players being called up to Edmonton and at crucial times in the season. With the Oilers it seems just when their is a push for the AHL playoffs each year, they end up with a string of injuries or Nelson contends with those injuries on his AHL team. Bottom line? Nelson has an established track record with 50% of the Oilers NHL team and is known to be well respected and liked among them all.

You always hear rumours that can not really be substantiated. The young players party too much! The players have tuned out Dallas Eakins and do not respect him to get the best out of their game. The argument you hear to that is the NHL player is a professional and needs to be self motivated and shouldn't need a coach to pull the best out of him.

My take? I am sure Dallas is a wonderful person and even a really good coach. I just don't think that he is the right coach. From the moment he walked into this job, we heard how he was going to change this team. Their fitness level was too be intensified and their compete level was to be through the roof. In fact he really did IMO come off as arrogant and rude and his comments insinuated to me he was saying the last couple coach's did not demand that or couldn't teach that. Also he didn't really seem to know the players well enough of who has brought what to this organization with their gifts and talents. Even his systems play were truly flawed that he insisted would work and gave the reasons why.

Has Dallas learned on the fly? Absolutely and while I do think it's time we just quit firing coaches, I really did disagree we should have fired Ralph at all. Renney before him was a firing that happened to save Tambo's job for the following season. Tamby made Renney his scapegoat!

My take now? It's a tough decision to make and a tough pill for MacT to swallow if he were to replace his head coach but IMO if we are to bring in a young up and coming coach from the AHL, it should be from within the organization not from another one. At least we know what we have from within and it does look good.

Could Nelson accept a Assistant job? It's possible, anything is possible. If Todd does come in as assistant, you know at least a couple assistants are on their way out. What is most likely? I think Chabot and Bucky are on their way out.

However, what if Todd nelson were to take the Head Coaching job of the Edmonton Oilers should it be offered by MacT? What would happen with Dallas Eakins and the remaining part of his contract? The scoop I was told is Dallas gets sent to OKC to take on the Barons. I can hear some people right now saying 'no way!' Dallas didn't come to Edmonton to return back to the AHL. Maybe not but he also didn't perform and to me doesn't sound like a guy who is very accountable for his many mistakes as a rookie head coach. What happens to a player who under performs? He loses his job outright or gets demoted. They are paying Dallas so sending him to hone his skills within their AHL team isn't the end of the world. Eakins benches players when they under perform maybe it's time to do the same?

Not for a minute do I claim to know what WILL happen but this rumour could have some validity to it but only time will tell. In the meantime and in between time, that's it…for another edition of 'Oilers Jambalaya"

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Where do the Oilers go from here?

The Edmonton Oilers season has gone down the toilet in a big way and we are looking at one of, if not the worst season record in the history of the organization. There is no way to spin this thing and nothing I can say here will change. This city (Edmonton) and Oilers fans worldwide have found places to cast blame and some seem like good possibilities but many of those places they are looking to cast blame I do not believe are the reason for the poor results on the ice.

Let's walk through some of the possibilities that are ailing the Edmonton Oilers and possible solutions that could be made to see improvement this year and the year's to follow.

Possible Problems:

1) President Kevin Lowe;
While I agree that Lowe should be made accountable for the mess that is the Oilers, he is not. There has been no repercussion for his bad decisions or lack thereof. On the other hand other then just making people feel good, do we really believe this team improves if he is fired or let go? Nope! It's about time we stop looking at Lowe as the problem. The past may be his fault, heck even where we are now. If we have to let MacT go cause he fails as a GM then that would be Lowe's fault for 2 bad GM hires and that should fall on him. Until then? Exactly, let's look for a different on ice reason for a lack of results with this skilled of a team

2) GM Craig MacTavish;
How can we blame MacT for this? Because he hired Eakins is the reason we have tanked? Maybe, but since very little growth occurred with the other coaches I highly doubt it would have added more then another 5 wins in the old win column. In fact MacT has not even been in his job a year and took over a disaster of a rebuild. Sure he has made some errors as fans like to point out, but if we are all honest, the current state of affairs of this team is not MacT. He doesn't have much time to stand pat that is for sure. He has to make at least 2 big moves still to even see the Oilers become a playoff team IMO.

3) Head Coach Dallas Eakins; 
MacT, Quinn, Renney, Kruger and now Eakins and we think this all falls on Eakins. I did not like what i thought sounded like arrogance when he first came in but in recent interviews he sounds a little more humbled and I for one, don't see changing head coaches as a way of improving. It's a decision that needs to be followed through for 2 full seasons.

4) Assistant Coaches Buchberger and Smith:
I like both as people and as players in their day but don't see how they add more then another assistant coach would who is real good at their job and come with a top end resume. Could it be they have been trained by bad mentoring? It's time to move on here and hire someone with a proven track record who has had success at their level of coaching.

5) Goaltending;
Has been and continues to be a problem for a long time. It's time the Oilers get a goalie who can steal a game every 10-12 games. Someone who can have a Save % of at least .915 and not let in soft goals at times when they break the back of the team's momentum. A clutch save at the right time is more important then just a save. btw…contrary to most people's thoughts with goalies, there is no goalie who we can get (or afford) that is on top of the world when we get him. You need to take a chance on a Goalie who may need to re-establish himself sometimes.

6) Defence;
As upset as some may be here, you can't bring in elite talent without paying through the ceiling with your young forwards who are considered untouchable to Oiler fans. The future is shaping up well and defencemen always take time to develop. My preference is still to get Ekblad in the draft and let him get 1 extra year in jr before bringing him up. In the meantime Klefbom has more time to develop (he will come around IMO) Marincin and Gernat in the minors and let's not forget Nurse.

7) Team is too small and not gritty enough;
While I agree we need to get bigger and or tougher, what does that mean? Ever watch Crosby? What about Nathan MacKinnon this year? Some of you Oiler fans really like Perron's game. I could walk through at least 15 other NHL players easily who are tough to play against yet they are not extremely tall or over 200 lbs. So what does bigger or tougher mean? Is it height or weight? I think what people mean is they can protect the puck, not get tossed around when they get hit and can win the battles in the corners coming out with the puck on most occasions.

Having said all that, none of us really know the answer and if we really believe we are smarter then the professionals we need to give our head a shake. But since this is only a blog and we like to discuss these kind of things let me take a stab at where I think the Oilers should go from here…

Stay the course and do not trade the pick;
My preference would be to draft in order if they are available when the Oilers step up to the podium, Ekblad, Reinhart or Sam Bennett. Should the Oilers draft out of the top 3 then Drasaitl would be next. It's likely we will be drafting top 3 in June. Drafting one of the other of Reinhart 1st or Bennett allows us to draft for a 2nd line center for the future as well. Don't be deceived, Reinhart will not be pushed around at 6'1 even though he is 185 lbs about. He would be a perfect fit IMO on that second line but i would send him back to jr for 1 more year before bringing him in full-time even though I believe he will be ready this next year.

Trade Yakupov;
I absolutely do not personally want to send him packing but something tells me his game will not fit what the Oilers are building. The trade with a top quality prospect and or pick for a top end defencemen or big center who can fill in the #2 line spot. I realize some may think his value is low but it's just a sophomore jinx some may say. Most the other players taken high in his draft year are not faring much better and it is rumoured that many GM's actually believe that Edmonton does not handle their development well with some of their players. His value is high out there on the market and this summer will be a good time to explore what the options are.

Try to resign Scrivens and get a solid UFA #1 Goalie or make a trade for one;
This will not be easy but let's hope the Oilers can somehow convince someone who hits the market July 1st that coming to Edmonton will be where they can excel. Until this can happen the Oilers will always muddle around in the middle of the pack at best.

Trade 2 defence prospects for a 3-4 d-man;
We are stock piling some d-men and eventually something will have to break. The Oilers can land a few different defencemen as a possibility but truth is a player in the ability of a Petry can be had it will mean the Oilers will have to give something good up (other then their 1st round draft pick or Nurse).

The players I do not even consider to move unless someone goes crazy and overpays are the following;
Taylor Hall / Ryan Nugent-Hopkins / David Perron / Darnell Nurse / Justin Schultz / Jeff Petry. Everyone else is available for the right deal if it means we improve the team. I love many of the other players as well but you will have to pay a high price if you want to bring in a franchise type player who can take this team over that bump in the road.

I know many of you will have varying opinions on this. Shoot away at your suggestions or thoughts. It's all subjective anyway but nothing wrong with voicing our thoughts or idea's or opinions. What's your thought's? You see things different or are you thinking along the same lines? What about Oilers management? What do you think they are actually going to do?



Monday, July 15, 2013

Questions & more Questions in "Oilerland" pt 1

Where do I start? Between the MSM of TV and Radio, along with all our Oiler bloggers on the Internet and fans on twitter and Facebook, the world of hockey has some real crazy talk happening out there. Sure some stuff sounds quite interesting and plausible but some stuff does not even make sense. Sometimes it is simple deduction in figuring out what is ludicrous or what has possibility.

 I am like the next guy, always interested in the next possibility, be it a trade or signing or buyout. Also when trying to wade through the mud of the dirty waters of rumours and speculation, all you have to do is consider the few facts in front of you.When a team is over the cap, very low % of a chance that a team in that standing will trade for a player who has a high salary. Sure the Oilers can keep some kind of salary but unless they are getting a need met in their organization , why would they take on salary as well? Also it is unlikely a team will trade for a player unless they believe they can help their organization especially at the cost it takes. Some teams may take on salary for depth like Dallas did with Horcoff but they need the cap room first. All those small details need to be figured out.

The great insiders of the game don't just have a GUY, they have people who know or have heard that people are talking. They then do simple deduction of what are the different possibilities and demise from that conversation. After all that is done, they throw out that rumour possibility and then check out the reaction from the players, agents and the NHL clubs. Depending on what they hear, they either move forward or pull back off of the rumour. Very seldom, the great insiders know actual facts from directly within until it looks like it is almost all but over and the contract is all but signed.

There are only really 3 players who are constantly in rumour mills and could or have some kind of trade value should the Oilers make such a move. (we will all disagree of how much trade value they carry but nonetheless they still have trade value of some sort. More then say Ryan Smyth at this point of his career)

Ales Hemsky:
A rumour for picking up Zack Smith from Ottawa is possible if they consider him a option as their third line center. MacT has said Gordon is 3rd line center so trading hemsky for a guy who would be a 4th line center and keeping part of his salary and paying that high of a price? Does not make sense. Oilers might as well keep Hemsky and worse case scenario is wait til trade deadline and get what they can to a contending team. Trading Hemsky to Ottawa does not make as much sense either if there is no room in the top 6. Who wants to pay 5 million to a player on the 3rd line? Remember Bobby Ryan going to Ottawa in a trade? That closes those doors. OTTAWA? 10% chance

What about New Jersey and the Devils? Unlikely due to his contract size unless the Oilers picked some of it up on their end. If that were to happen, who does NJ have that the Oilers need? You need to have a match for that to occur. NEW JERSEY? 10% chance

Been hearing about rumours to Long Island to join John Tavares? He would look good there very likely but doubt it happens. They have been going younger and are tired of possible injury prone players, they just bought out their worst mistake in franchise recently , they don't want any part of Hemsky IMO. NEW YORK ISLANDERS? 5% chance (never say never)

Remember the CBJ rumours awhile back? With Howsen out of Columbus maybe not the same desire for Hemsky as there once was? Or is there? They have been stockpiling some talent and maybe they are willing to take him for a spin if they can unload some money back to Edmonton in a deal. Sorry Ryan Johansen will not be coming back in a deal if only Hemsky is included, does not make sense from a CBJ perspective. Just look at there roster and it may give you a couple ideas. COLUMBUS? 15% chance

Forget Philly, the Rangers or even Boston. Those locations sound too cash strapped to even consider his 5 Million and unless they send back something Edmonton really needs why would they eat some of his salary? 

What about Pittsburgh? I know they are a cash strapped team. They have spent quite a bit on their top level players already so this trade would have to have the Oilers eating some of his salary. Is that possible? Only if they send something back the Oilers want or need. They are deep in defencemen, so that is always a good possibility. Your guess is as good as mine. PITTSBURGH? 10% chance.

Unless MacT is a real salesman, I think we see Hemsky still start the year in Edmonton with the understanding if he plays good, a Stanley Cup contender may trade for him before the deadline.Worst case scenario, one of Edmonton's top 6 goes down on one of the wings and Hemsky moves up a spot to the 2nd line and actually does return to scoring again when it matters.

IMO, if you can't bring decent 2nd line defencemen back or a 3rd line winger minimum, you keep the assets and at worst send him off at the deadline for cheap or let him play out his last year in Edmonton. Hemsky can handle our 3rd line role IMO. We may be grateful we kept him if you look at our current bottom 6 forwards. btw...the total % I show is 50% chance he gets moved only. (watch now how some other team I did not mention trades for Ales Hemsky)

I have been told by a few different places to look into some other options for him to go to Vancouver, Minnesota or Anaheim. Not sure I can see that happening myself but can't say never.

NEXT POST COMING ON; Ladislav Smid

Thursday, July 4, 2013

A Closer look into the Edmonton Oilers 'Recruitment'



In light of recent activity both good and bad in many people’s opinions, I have decided to now put my ‘Oilers fan’ hat aside and put on my Oiler Blogger’ hat on. I know, my last blog basically ripped MacT and the Oilers (as have some of my tweets on twitter @revingev) but today it is time to take a different perspective of the Oilers organization.

After years of ‘retooling’ and ‘rebuilding’ or whatever you choose to call it, the fans in Edmonton and Oiler fans around the NHL have grown impatient over the progress the team has made in recent years. Many people felt and still feel that nothing is really going to be much different this year from any other. Will we see progress again this year slightly over last? Maybe, but not much other then the continued maturity of the skill players the Oilers already have.

In all fairness, if MacT had to do it again, would he have proclaimed to make bold moves , say he was an impatient man and/or tell people if he did not return from the draft without some roster players it would be a disappointment? I think he still FEELS that way but being a new GM, he was hoping he could be a mover and shaker and do some things differently. There are a number of reasons other teams seem to make moves and not the Oilers in my view. Are they factual? I have no idea other then just speculating or as some say, just guessing based on what we have seen or heard. IMO these are the possible reasons the Oilers seem to miss out on great trades and or free agents.

LOCATION:











I know, I have continually said that players don’t usually care about the weather cause most the season they are away or have their off season in a warmer climate. Problem is, the more you talk to players these days, location is extremely important. They are looking for a place where they can not be in the limelight and or can get away from all the stress of pressure they feel from the media and or public. Sure some players love the limelight and like that attention but not all. Some players dream of playing and living in warmer weather conditions. Can’t say I can blame them. Some players want the extras that come from playing in a state of the art building with training equipment etc...

My suggestion:
Why not trade for and draft or reach out to UFA’s who like the spotlight? Sure they may be a little cocky or have some attitude, but is that so bad? I know we want character players but do we always need polished boys who say or do the right thing? If they don’t help you win, why does it matter? Just a thought! On the other note, I believe the team is going in the right direction with our new downtown arena complex. Nothing like a good time in a positive environment with state of the art facilities. Great for the players and the fans. 

WINNING CULTURE:











Every player who says winning the Stanley Cup is not important should have their head examined cause that’s why they are paid to play. We don’t pay them to look pretty, provide a nice game here or there and collect there cheque. Every fan, dreams of their team winning or at least competing to win the Stanley Cup. In the end, we should not be upset at a player who does not want to come to a losing team. Sorry Oiler fans but we all know, at this time we are close to being a winning team but not yet. Sure we can convince some we are almost there but in the end, players want to come and play for a winner. Hopefully soon the Oilers will arrive there.

My suggestion:
Allow time for the young core to develop and surround them with the best staff available. Pick a system and stick to it. Also stick to the plan of how you want to build your team. (ie: Big and mean VS Puck possession etc…) Fans will be willing to wait if they see continued success each year. With that, to be a winner you need to take chances in your trades. No complaints really in amateur scouts but there is in the pro scouts. Their success has been terrible and when you keep doing the same, your results stay the same. Let’s find some scouts who know how to find good players once in awhile. (ie: Glencross, Ryan Jones) through small trades and or waivers. We need to have more hits then misses.

PERSONAL PLAYER RECRUITMENT:










Winning teams have players who go out and pursue the UFA’s when they are available. Before a player becomes available they are already talking about possible teams to join in the future. It’s not wrong for a player to recruit early, there just friends, however a team recruiting before UFA time is illegal. Philly players help make attraction better, Boston does the same as does Pittsburgh. Even Calgary in the past worked hard on personal recruitment among the players. It may not be liked by some people but it is happening and if you don't jump on board you will get left behind.

My suggestion:
Recently we saw this with Justin Schultz,  however this seldom is seen. In today's post-modern way of thinking, players who are younger are more interested in being ‘wanted’ or ‘needed’ then in the name on the Jersey in the front. Continue to make this a priority of the players selling the organization rather then the GM’s and such. Sure they want to see the President and the GM but more importantly they want to see ‘friends’ asking them. Key point here is to think of what is most important to ‘people’ NOT to ‘players’. Sometimes we forget that these guys don’t need our city, our city needs them! Should we bend some? Absolutely, it’s a business, do everything we can, and with this young core we have, make them the recruiters.

TEAM UNITY:












I know this may sound like such a small thing but it is important to have a locker room where teams learn to rely on one another and work things out among themselves and even self-motivate each other. We have heard of several rumours over the years of locker room problems. Some is always bound to happen, the question is rooting out the ones who are not team players.

My suggestion:
 It is a new day and age , most the old ways of developing team chemistry is gone. Adapt or be left behind. If a team is run like a hierarchy it can reflect in what kind of team you have on the ice. Giving more responsibility to your team is important to that chemistry of a winning culture. Every team needs to be encouraged to give their input. When a player feels valued it will change their whole attitude and way of thinking.

UNWILLINGNESS TO PROMOTE OR TRADE VALUE:











I know this will be unpopular to Oiler fans but we can not continue to think as a organization that we can win every trade. Someone has to lose and unless your good at it , you will likely lose a few. Sometimes they can work both ways but most times there is a loser in the deal. You cannot get better by trades without trading better players who have value or at least ‘believed’ value.

My suggestion:
When your considering trading someone, don’t tell the world you need to move them. Don’t sit them in the press box. Highlight them in their strengths on the ice and make reasons in the room and with the player as to why your making the changes. (ie: Ryan Whitney value is decreased with the way he was played and even critiqued in the MSM) Find a way to speak positive of players but yet working on improving their challenges at times. I believe Todd Nelson was always good at this. Sure he spoke highly of players (after all, they are humans not robots) but he also talked about area’s to work on. Too often in Edmonton players are ripped apart and that information gets dissected by other teams scouts. A little strategy in how we handle critiquing could go a long ways. In addition how we handle disgruntled players will go a long ways in seeing them traded for at least something rather then rusting in our organization. Have we also forgotten that the way we treat a player can spread like 'wildfire' in the NHL among the NHLPA? Just a thought!

Having said all that, I am not employed by a professional hockey team and never have been, so what do I know? What I do know is how people want to be treated regardless of how much money they make. Team building and training is what I do and that my friends, I believe goes a long way in developing success within any organization.


NEXT POST ON 'DEVELOPMENT CAMP' 2013:

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Oilers Jambalaya 2013 NHL Mock Draft



Sunday will be another historic day for the NHL as it embarks on another important day in the history of great players. I am rather uncertain about this being as deep a draft as mentioned by several but I do think its a much more talented first round we are going to see with high end skill spread throughout that round. All you have to do is look and you will see out of the top 7 or 8 players probably at least 5 have better potential to be stars in the NHL and not bottom 6 forwards or bottom pairing d-men.

Each year I post my REVS TOP 15 NHL DRAFT PROSPECTS at the beginning of the year and once again I re-post with changes at year end. There is always a player here or there that pleasantly surprises and moves up the rankings and then there are those who drastically drop down and seem for whatever reason to lose the 'it' factor which got them there. Here is my year ending REVS TOP 15 2013 NHL DRAFT PROSPECTS...


REVS 2013 NHL DRAFT PROSPECTS:
1. Nathan Mackinnon
2. Seth Jones
3.Jonathan Drouin 
4. Aleksander Barkov
5. Valeri Nichushkin
6. Darnell Nurse
7.  Sean Monahan
8.  Elias Lindholm
9.  Hunter Shinkaruk
10.  Nikita Zadorov
11.  Max Domi
12.  Curtis Lazar
13. Frederik Gauthier

15. Ryan Pulock

My rankings I post are based off the player I believe is the best all around player available at the time of drafting, NOT in 5 years or by importance of team.

 I have stood strong throughout the year and never doubted MacKinnon as the undisputed #1 even once. To me the media and some scouts made a big deal and swayed the opinion of the masses for awhile. It is interesting cause you always hear that one tournament does not change scouts minds, yet that is exactly what happened after the World Jr tourney in January. Seth Jones was the man! Then when MacKinnon and Jones continued to pick up where they left off, it was Jones staying ranked ahead by 8 out of 10 scouts. After the CHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup MacKinnon began to once again look like the favourite at #1. Why? Because of his dominance at the highest level. 

Still agree that 1 tournament does not make a difference? It happened when Taylor won back to back memorial cups and MVP awards as well. Not to mention swaying the Oilers to take him after seeing him pick himself up off the ice and then go and score a goal shortly after. MacKinnon has been my guy all along and I still stand by the fact he will be a superstar in the making. Heck, he alone will be worth liking and watching the Colorado Avalanche this year.

This Mock draft is NOT based on BPA but based on WHO I believe will be picked for each team at their respective spots. It's always a difficult task ranking the top players let alone by team perspective but we will treat this 'Oilers Jambalaya NHL Mock draft' as if there will be no trades allowed. Feel free to leave your thoughts, disagreements or opinions. Have fun Oil Country!

OILERS JAMBALAYA 2013 NHL MOCK DRAFT

1Nathan MacKinnon
2Jonathan Drouin
3Seth Jones
4Sasha Barkov
5Darnell Nurse
6Sean Monahan
7Valeri Nichushkin 
8Elias Lindholm
9Hunter Shinkaruk
10Rasmus Ristolainen 
11Nikita Zadorov
12Curtis Lazar
13Max Domi
14Bo Horvat
15Ryan Pulock
16*Samuel Morin
17Frederik Gauthier
18Alexander Wennberg
19*Anthony Mantha
20Valentin Zykov
21Kerby Rychel
22*Zachary Fucale
23Mirco Mueller
24Adam Erne
25Josh Morrissey
26Jacob De La Rose
27*Ryan Hartman
28*Robert Hagg
29JT Compher
30Nicolas Petan
By "Revingev" of Oilers Jamabalaya

The 2013 NHL Entry Draft will be fun. Find your friends, find a local establishment to hang out with others and enjoy another historic time in the life of every NHL team. In today's NHL finding prospects who can play are extremely important to a salary cap team who must take advantage of cheaper priced players. 


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Oilers Jambalaya is in no way, shape or form associated with the Edmonton Oilers or the Bakersfield Condors. This is a fans blog for fans. We happen to love those teams, so we write about them.