Showing posts with label Daryl Katz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daryl Katz. Show all posts

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Any Changes upcoming in Oilers Management?

First up in our look into what changes can or will happen with the Edmonton Oilers next season in regards to Management.


We know their is a Lynch mob waiting to crucify Lowe in the City of Edmonton. Even the fans at the arena are calling for his head. The only constant left through all these years is Kevin Lowe. The argument we hear from Katz (the owner) and other members of the MSM is Lowe does not affect what happens on the ice. Do you believe that? Does not leadership start from the top down. Did he not move himself into presidency and hire Tamby to run this once storied franchise into the basement cellar of the NHL? Yup, same guy. 


Personally I like Lowe and everything he did as a player. I like him as a person but as management, not so sure he brings what this team needs. Still doubt that changing management (who is not a GM) matters? Lets take a look at 1 man who has proven that theory wrong on 2 occasions. His name is John Davidson! The following articles were written either after being in St.Louis or after and moving to Columbus. All we have to do is look at the difference in attitude that team adopted. It's the LEADERSHIP culture that he changes and what he expects out of all his staff , not to mention his selection of hockey minds to run that part of the business has a proven track record. 


Here are the articles written on Davidson;

"Since his arrival, Davidson has been involved in the acquisitions of Andy McDonald, Alex Steen, Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk while continuing to develop a solid young team." by NHL.com


"Davidson will find a number of opportunities in the NHL to do what he did in St. Louis: Build a winner on the ice through the draft and smart spending, and be the voice of the organization in keeping fans enthusiastic about the direction of the franchise….Davidson's a rock star executive, and an asset to any team that manages to add him to the brain trust."

"The problems that Davidson will face in Columbus are not unlike what he encountered when he first arrived in St. Louis. The Blues were last in the NHL in 2005-06 with 56 points but have gradually become one of the league's top teams". by The Associated press


"Davidson was brought into the organization in December of 2005 when the Blues were in the basement of the NHL. Davidson wasted no time in improving the front office. Al MacInnis was promoted to vice president, Dave Taylor became involved with player personnel and when GM Larry Pleau had to step down to senior adviser, Davidson made his best hiring in Doug Armstrong for the GM position.  If any one person should be credited with the rise of the Blues, it is Davidson. Davidson knew exactly who he needed in the GM positions to make the team homegrown and into contenders, even if it would take a few years."

"There are currently only three players, David Backes, Roman Polak and Barrett Jackman who were drafted before Davidson became president. Since then, there are six players that receive regular playing time (T.J. Oshie, Ryan Reaves, Patrik Berglund, Ian Cole, David Perron and Alex Pietrangelo) and many others currently in the NHL or ready to come up now. Because of these drafted players the Blues rose from the basement of the NHL in 2005 to Central Division Champs and only two points away from the President's Trophy.  The team has gone from looking as bare as a youth hockey rink to having standing room only crowds. When Davidson was hired the Blues were last in the hearts of the city. Now, they rival the Cardinals for passionate fans. Davidson has taken the team from the ashes of the lockout and turned them into a Cup contending team.By ,


Not bad recommendations by several writers and if you examined the ownership of NHL teams many would love to have this man running their ship. I realize he is only 1 man but that 1 man is also only a PRESIDENT of an NHL team, just like Kevin Lowe. Nobody can convince me that the position of President has no impact on the ice.

It won't happen before the season starts but another bad start next season for the Oilers and Kevin Lowe's position WILL no longer be secure, after all you can only live on your 5 Stanley Cup rings for so long and you can only give the same excuses for so long. The only way Lowe will continue in management is if the Oilers make a strong push for the playoffs right up to the bitter end. Anything less and IMO he will be let go. Love the guy but winning franchises have to know how to let go of not only players but management and coaches that have expired dates on their resume when it comes to winning.

Next article, we will discuss the area of coaching and examine how safe the Coaches are within the Oilers organization. 

In the meantime, and in between time, that's it for another edition of Oilers hockey!

Friday, May 13, 2011

You Can Track Batman.. I Mean Daryl Katz?


Remember the Dany Heatley to the Oilers episode? Yeah... so do I.

Not much good became of that situation except maybe this tip I got from a reader. I was told that if I went to this page, I could track the private plane of Daryl Katz.

Hmmm... Really?

While I'm not 100% positive that this really is his plane, but I did watch this plane fly back and forth between Edmonton and Kelowna when they were trying to "sweet talk" Heatley into becoming an Edmonton Oiler. So take it as you will.

-WRITTEN BY SMOKIN' RAY-

Friday, April 1, 2011

Show Support For The New Arena / Watch This

The vote for the new arena is happening on April 6th, 2011 and the Oilers are asking us for our support. Watch this video and visit http://revitalizedowntown.ca/ for more information on what you can do.

GOILERS!


Katz Angry / Tom Renney Fired After 4-2 Loss To Wild / Krueger Takes Over

"I've had enough!", Oilers owner Daryl Katz said early this morning to a couple of local scribes. "Tom Renney is no longer the coach of the Edmonton Oilers. We thank him for his time and for what he has done, but we need to move on. Enough is enough."

Surprisingly Katz made the claim himself. He's generally quiet and isn't one to speak out often, but for what ever reason he decided to speak for himself this morning. The scribes said he was visably upset that it's almost spring and no playoffs yet again for his beloved club.

He also mentioned that Ralph Krueger will take over the team until further notice.

The Oilers will make an official announcement later on this morning.

Stay tuned for more developments...

-WRITTEN BY YAD SLOOF LIRPA-

Sunday, December 6, 2009

In Katz's Shoes - An Oiler Fan's Thoughts



Hello, my name is Paq Twinn and I'm the "other" guy here at Oilers Jambalaya. I've known Smokin' Ray for 10 years now and it's been fun helping out with the TweetCasts for the Beers & Jeers and whatever else he's wanted me to do. Now it's time to ramp it up a bit and you'll find me writing on here a lot more often. Do I have a different point of view compared to Smokin' Ray? You bet I do. Here's one example...

-----------------

Here's what I would do if I were in Katz's shoes.

If you build it they will come?

I'd worry less about the new building and more about the on ice product. Don't get me wrong, I do think that the Oilers need a new building in the future. It's just that the team is so inconsistent, that fans don't know what to expect when they show up to Rexall place for a game. Is it the team that works their collective asses off that shows up, or the one that stinks the joint out? The product should be the focus at the moment.

On a side note, if Mayor Mandel wants the "city" to own the new arena then he should pony up some money. Otherwise, be happy someone wants to better your city and build a new attraction, and keep your mouth shut.

The Scouts

When looking at the Oilers draft history over the last 30 years, an involuntary urge to puke swells in my gut. Other than some great drafts in the first few years (Messier-3rd rd, Anderson-4th rd, Kurri-4th rd, Moog-5th rd) and some decent prospects from recent drafts, the Oilers have been horrible.

From 1984-1992 there wasn't one 1st rd pick that played more than 60 games. That's not even a whole season. When Kevin Lowe took over from Slats back in 2000, most of the scouting staff retired, probably cause they would have been fired after drafting the likes of Rita, Riessen, Bonsignore etc. Kevin Lowe appointed Prendergast as head of scouting, while Lowe himself scouted AHL and NHL talent. Neither era has a great draft record. Slats got some good ones in the Oilers infant years, and Lowe has been better in the last few years himself(minus Robbie Schremp).

If I were in Katz's shoes I would do everything possible to get a scout or 2 that has a proven track record. Someone from Detroit and maybe New Jersey, these teams draft consistently well every year and it doesn't seem like a fluke.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Unknown

Finally I'd do something about the contracts on this team. Here's what moves I would want done with this roster.

The Good ones are obvious, and I'm not that concerned about them. Gags, Pens, Hemmer, Lubo, Smid, Brule, Storts, Stoner and Potsy.

The Bad ones haven't played bad, but some have. I would give Tambo the power to trade these guys. Gilbert, Grebs, Horc(I know, I know, the contract), Cogs, Patty-O, Comrie and Souray. I would also deal one of the 3 goalies. JDD and DD are RFA's at season's end and we have to choose one to keep and deal one or keep both and trade Khabbi.

The Ugly players have to go, no matter what. whether it's through trades, buy-outs or waiving to the minors. They are as follows, Moreau, Nilsson, Staios, Strudwick, and I don't like to do this to him but Pisani as well.

The Unknown players haven't been around long enough to really know how effective they will become or ineffective for that matter. The jury is out on Chorney, Peckham, Reddox, McDonald and O'Marra. These guys still have potential and I wouldn't give up on any of them....yet.

----------------------

Well there you have it, a little look into Paq's brain. Hope it wasn't too scary. One more thing, I would also bring back the blue shoulder patches on the white jersey's, or maybe orange. But there would be shoulder patches on the whites for sure. But that's a whole other subject for some other time.

Have a great day and see you next time.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

If I was Owner / GM / Coach... #3



The Panic Mode Button has been pushed.  Thousands of Oiler fans are crying out for Tambellini to make some sort of a trade/move.  Anything right now would appease these fans.  Well... almost anything.

IF I WAS OWNER I WOULD: If I was Katz, I'd suck it up and send Nilsson down to the minors.  The guy stinks and needs to be shown the door.  I'd probably do the same to Moreau as well.  He sure isn't helping the team either. And let's be real... who is going to take those two?  So much for having money.

IF I WAS GM I WOULD: The Oilers desperately need a guy who can win faceoffs in a consistent and winning manner.  As of right now, it's anyone's guess which Oiler will be the best of the night.  One day it's Gagner and the next it's Horcoff, the day after that it's Cogliano.  It's just crazy right now and it seems to be hurting this team. 

The other need this team has, is it needs players that can demolish the other teams better players.  We had that with Jacques and Stone, but Stone has not played in awhile and Jacques is now suffering from his bad back.  Without those two, the Oilers are a soft team.  Nevermind not having Souray back yet either.  Quinn wants this type of player in his lineup and if Tambo was smart, he'd find one.  So if I was GM, I'd try and shore up those two positions and give this team a better chance to win.

IF I WAS COACH I WOULD:  If I was Quinn, I'd be bugging Tambo and Katz everyday for a little help on the ice.  You know the team isn't in good shape when Reddox is called up.  There isn't much that Quinn and Co. can really do to improve.  It's up to Tambo and Katz.

This team is in trouble and there is some easy fixes.  But can it all be pulled off?

Two Guys & Hockey Talk NHL News (CLICK PIC FOR LINK)

The Faithful Followers

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.