How Do You Fix The Oilers Defense?

Holy Mackrel, we don’t have any defencemen.

The correct response should be to find a GM who understands this concept of roster balance and depose Tambellini. Sadly this isn’t going to happen in the short term.

You trade for Corey Sarich, that’s how.

Well, the Jets look like they’re about to put Mark Flood on waivers… :/ #probablynotalongtermsolutionbutmygoodnessanyportinastormrightnowiguess

hockey is not just psychology, as I’ve seen the contract extensions, I had already asked a few questions. No player will be better if he earns more than 2 million. However, this is a management problem.
Barker was always a 50/50 chance or less.
Either one is addressing the issue of aggressive or you can the time work, but this time the Oilers have not. I always wished it would work out till play offs, but it dont

Everything is going according to plan. The plan is simple and perfect – get high draft picks. A fool could pull it off. There is no need for any other part in the plan. The astute actions taken since the end of last season support the acquisition of high picks, like a jock strap supports it’s wearer.

It is sublimely brilliant, and this subtle genius should be appreciated for what it is! It would be sad if ST had to wait for recognition until after he’s gone, like so many auteurs.

I’ve lost count of how many times our forward players are having to start their rushes from behind our own net. Credit the guys for buying into a “defensive mindset”, but the lack of ability to outlet is creating a situation whereby instead of catching a crisp pass in flight just outside the blueline, forwards have to commence 200 feet from the opposing net – from a dead stop. This is drastically reducing the chances of success. How many things have to go right for a successful rush when you have to go through the entire opposing team?

To my mind Renney has to overcompensate for a brutal D, and in doing so is effectively negating the strengths our young guys possess (speed, skill). This is especially obvious on the road when you can’t get favorable matches. I think this has alot to do with why we’re starting (?) to see the effects of cumulative fatigue. We’re collectively over-tasking the forward players every night.

Still, we see moments of brilliance. When we win, we win big. But to do so the entire team has to perform beyond their natural limits (like in a playoff series). You can do this once in a while but mediocre teams simply cannot sustain the high level of performance necessary to compete against stronger, balanced squads who don’t have to exert themselves to the max in order to simply compete.

I have to admit. I was one of the fools who got suckered into believing this team had an outside chance at a playoff spot in the spring. But the longer we get into the season it’s becoming patently obvious that the plan is to go for another high pick. I mean, who in their right mind brings in guys like Sutton and Barker and depends on AHL guys to fill in the other spots? Unless that “right mind” had another agenda.

Timing is everything. When opportunity arises, those that eventually get ahead are the ones who open the door when it knocks, as the Shark’s Wilson mentioned when talking about acquiring Burns.

As fans we aren’t privy to the inner circles. But there is scuttlebutt between GM’s, coaches and agents around the league all the time. Owners forcing trades, players getting in bad books, accountants driving changes to increase revenue.

Because we haven’t seen any significant action over the last few years other than trading the best D away for no good reason we know of (Lubo) and Smyth trading himself home, I think management’s hand is played. And it’s pretty much what they have been saying.

Lowe and ST believe they have enough pieces in the system to fill the holes, and want to acquire top level talent through the draft because they can’t get it otherwise. Pajaarvi, Hamilton, Pitlick, Harti, maybe Martindale are going to provide the size and two way play we need, your power forwards.

The defence will be fleshed out with those on the farm or on their way. Lots of size, grit and well rounded defensemen are there. We have two top goalie prospects in the system now.

We are missing elite D, but I think they are going to go to the draft unless Webber or someone trades himself to Edmonton – I don’t know if ST could prompt such a deal. The bottom line is they expect us to wait, again, as they have stated/asked. A six year rebuild.

I guess the strategy is sound, if unnecessary. I think there is a significant issue with management of current players. They don’t necessarily want to wait four more years for something to happen. As gcw_rocks mentioned, there are players to get to speed things up. It is not necessary to waste the value of the current players while we all wait.

I believe the best thing to do is decide on the keepers, and get rid of all other younger players while they have potential, or put them in a position so that they don’t regress and become seen as having lost that potential or as reclamation projects – read having no value.

If they want to tank this year and next, at least cash in the guys like Omark, Hemsky, Gagner, whoever, for something. Get good draft picks, younger players with promise that are a few years away, whatever, but something that keeps the pool of player value stable, and not declining. Then fill out the roster with good UFA’s when you want to start the climb, or more Suttons and Eagers to take the fall if you don’t.

Just don’t screw the careers of promising players and get nothing for them. Success here is part of the tool kit of GM’s that build consistently and maintain. If you want to build a successful stud farm you have to be able to trade horses.

Too bad I came in so late in this discussion. My predictions were that the Oilers were eventually going to suffer because of a lack of defence this year. Defence is not fixed with the acquisition of one player. It is build over time through the draft.

The Oilers take care of the offence and then the defence is an afterthought in the draft, and then it’s patchwork time. They haven’t taken a dman with the 1st pick in the 1st round since at least 1991. With the emerging stars growing out of their entry level deals and needing cap space, free agency dmen is not a long term solution.

With all the rich new defensive prospects in this draft, let’s just see whether the Oilers draft a dmen in the first round this year.

I’ve thought about this a lot. I’ve analyzed the free agent market, trends in managements style with respect to trades late in the season, I’ve done all the work. Here’s what we do:

Pray to god one of Klefbom/Musil/Marincin/Gernat/Petry develops into a Norris Candidate before they turn 25.

Also Petry…..