WEEKEND WRAP
Jason Gregor
May 14 2012 01:33PM
I'm not sure I agree with that, but I'm guessing many scouts and GMs have felt like that years after a draft. "Why didn't I take that guy instead," would be a common thought, but you don't want to think that when you have the 1st overall pick. Not every first overall pick is going to be the best in his draft class, but recently many of the first choices were the best ones.
The Oilers need to ensure that in 2017, they were happy with their first round pick in 2012.
TAMBELLINI BACK? WHAT ABOUT RENNEY?
Jason Gregor
May 11 2012 02:02PM
It sounds like the Oilers will make an announcement regarding Steve Tambellini's future with the Oilers after the World Championships. Tambellini will get an extension, I'm not sure how long, but he'll be the guy in charge. This isn't a surprise to anyone who has been following the team, but rumblings seem to be pointing to an announcement sometime during the week after Victoria Day.
The actions of the Oilers make it seem like he's known he'd be the guy moving forward for months, but an official announcement will finally happen.
Once it does, Tambellini has lots of work to do.
HARSH REALITY
Jason Gregor
May 09 2012 01:39PM
As teams drop from the playoffs, we slowly start to focus more on the draft and free agency. The Nashville Predators swung for the fences at the trade deadline, but like most teams who take a risk on deadline day, they came up short. The Preds traded away their 1st and 2nd round picks for Paul Gaustad and Hal Gill, in hopes of a long playoff run as well as increasing their chances to re-sign Ryan Suter.
They struck out on a long playoff run, and right now no one really knows if Suter will stay. What I do know is that the Oilers won't be in the running for him.
LOSING SUCKS
Jason Gregor
May 08 2012 12:49PM
Losing is no fun. Players hate it and so do you, but if you get a taste of victory here and there it can tide you over for awhile. The Oilers and their fans haven't experienced the euphoria of winning a playoff series since May 27th, 2006, when the Oilers beat the Ducks 2-1 to close out the western conference final.
In the 2,173 days (yes that long) since you watched the Oilers defeat the Ducks, you've never left the rink or turned off the TV feeling that energized. As you watch fans in LA and Phoenix enjoy their surprising runs to the western conference final, I'm sure you feel envy, but likely you are starting to wonder if you'll ever get to experience that rush of excitement after you team wins a playoff series again.
WEEKEND WRAP
Jason Gregor
May 07 2012 12:06PM
Claude Giroux is the poster boy for how quickly things can change in the NHL playoffs. Giroux was unreal in the Flyers six-game victory over the Penguins, racking up 14 points, and becaues of that he was getting rave reviews from everyone. It was well-deserved, but now the Flyers are down 3-1 to the Devils and Giroux has only one goal in the series, and he might be watching game five from the pressbox after hid hit on Danius Zubrus in game four. And suddenly many of the same people who were raving about him are now saying he's a predator and his actions represent everything that is wrong in the game.
Such is life in the hockey. You can be revered or hated in a very short span of time.
