Jay Feaster Revisited : How do the Oilers get back to competing?

“Our compete level, you know, our passion, our determination is going to have to be on every night,” Hall said matter-of-factly after the game.

“That’s not that hard, you know? If you’re hurt or if you’re not feeling good, you can always bring passion to the game. That’s just something that has to be mandatory with our team and the last two games are a sign of that.” – Taylor Hall

This is where it starts, players holding each other accountable. Messier did it at one time – what was the quote, from Kent NiIlsson IIRC, " I was afraid not to play my best". Or Jimmy Carson tossing the jersey on the floor after a game and Messier getting after him.

In a year or two I wouldn’t want to be in a room with Hall after a lazy game. I also wouldn’t want to be a still active former Oiler that had badmouthed the team. Think I’d skip the Oilers game.

The Oilers will get back to competing only when the entire organization, to a man or woman is slavishly devoted to doing everything possible to bring it every night.

Right now the focus is on “development” and collecting high draft picks. Don’t think for a moment every player in the room doesn’t know this. While some like Hall desperately want to compete, you have an organization sitting on its hands while Rome burns. They talk about accountability but it’s a hollow sentiment. Competing is an option right now.

The team’s willingness to lose and perceived lack of will to improve is devastating to players who don’t care about 5 years from now. It’s a little like what Staff Sergeant Nantz says in Battle LA “You can go right. You can go left. But make a decision.”

It’s all about leveraging value and talent. Neither team has any clue as to how to do this, however.

A group of kids and ragtag AHL players can bring all the passion they want to the game, at the end of the day they still suck and can’t compete with the balance and depth that good teams have.

In the situation they’ve been in for what seems like forever, they are comfortable with always adding here and there. It never bumps them over the top, but through it all they’ve got a veteren team that competes and is tough to play against.

The Oilers, they are the opposite. They would rather bring in a 20 year old prospect, then with injuries all of these kids end up playing crazy minutes in the NHL before they’re ready. Why can’t these guys sign a few players here and there? Why not sign Turco at the beginning of the season? Heck, why not add yet another veteren 5-6 d-man just so that all of Peckham, Petry, Plante, Teubert don’t need to be relied upon for large amounts of playing time.

A far as the rebuild, at the rate it’s going, it will happen without the management’s input because it really will take 10 years to get all of the pieces together. By that time, Gagner will be nearing the end of his carrer, wherever he may be.

I’ve watched a few games this year, and in the games I saw it was not compete level that was missing. It was DEFENCE. “Compete level” is just jargon for “don’t have the horses”.

Every year, the defence is the last priority. Now there are loads of potential forwards, suspect goaltending and VERY suspect defence.

So let’s just draft another great forward in the first round this year…. and maybe something will change.

Completely.

I guess the main thing I’m wondering is how much is all of the losing effecting these player’s belief that they can actually win games?

Sometimes it seems like they’ve lost the belief. This, as you say, has a lot to do with the lack of balance that we all know is there.

If they ever do get more balance, will all of this last place hockey they’ve been playing for 3 years wash away just like that?

It will be interesting to see just how much damage Tambellini can inflict on this organization, even after he is gone. Hopefully, it won’t effect them at all, but I’m leaning more towards it being a big problem.

Eliminate the Oilers/Flames games this season and look at the records of both the teams. They would almost be identical.