Monday Mailbag – February 16th

There’s no better weekend than a long weekend, and I guess you’re just going to have to kill some family time instead of company time today.  Today, I’ve got five more of your questions that need answers from our panel of heroes and experts.  As always, this feature depends on you and if you have a question you can email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or hit me up on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk.  With that, I present another Monday Mailbag. Enjoy.

 

I think you need to take that into consideration when you look at their overall success this year, but by all accounts Todd Nelson keeps the team’s mood in a very different place and his practices are much more intensive. If you look at the things they have control over there are positives and negatives for both of them. 

I don’t really buy the notion that the roster has been significantly upgraded post-Eakins; we can talk about Derek Roy but to me the gap between Roy and Mark Arcobello is a lot smaller than the one between David Perron and Rob Klinkhammer. I’m still not sure that it’s fair to compare them, though. Nelson has had some percentage help that Eakins didn’t but because of that Nelson’s team has also spent a lot less time trailing, which makes its underlying numbers artificially look worse. Bottom line, it’s a results driven business and judgment was passed on Eakins based on his team’s performance, which means at this point Eakins isn’t terribly relevant. The relevant question is whether Nelson has been getting enough out of the roster he was given.

At this point I don’t think so. Dallas Eakins did a lot of things poorly, to be sure, but it feels like people are unfairly conflating their ill will towards Eakins with the recent success the team has had under Nelson. For instance over the last few weeks we’ve seen a number of people trotting out Nelson’s winning percentage so far, which is fine and it’s nice to see the Oilers seemingly moving the needle in the right direction for once. But when you try to compare a 15 game sample with a 113 game sample, obviously things are going to be skewed. 

The Oilers definitely seem to be a looser group who are having more fun under Nelson, and there are PLENTY of things we can criticize Eakins for, but as of right now trying to compare the two coaches straight across is unfair to me.

Both Nelson and Eakins are dealing with roster challenges but I agree it’s unfair to compare the two. If Nelson gets next season to show what he can do, then we can view both of them after 100+ NHL games.

Fair? Like Nelson being without his best player, Taylor Hall, for the next month or so? It’s the NHL. The Oilers are getting better results under Todd Nelson than they did under Dallas Eakins. Bottom line.

The centres are one aspect. The Oilers play with more tenacity. Their practices are much quicker and with more pace and less standing around the white board. Nelson has had a calming effect on the team that Eakins didn’t have. Under Nelson many players look more comfortable, Eberle, Yakupov and Schultz for example, so I do think you can compare how they play. They aren’t getting blown out even with Hall out of the lineup.

I have been impressed with the jump and life the team is showing under Todd that was not often seen under Dallas.

I still think it’s too soon to really compare Eakins and Nelson.  People forget that over the last half of the season, last year, that Eakins’ Oilers was almost playing at the .500 clip that Nelson’s is now.  Personally, I think the Oilers should take the interim tag off Nelson. By all accounts, he’s doing a decent job back there and more importantly the coaching carousel has to stop.  It has to.  The Oilers need better players, not another new coach.

There has to be changes. They need to find a top pairing defenseman (two preferably) and fill in the 2C spot so Draisaitl/McDavid/Strome/Whoever has less pressure. They also need a 1G. Hall, RNH, Draisaitl, Klefbom, and Nurse are my untouchables. The last three more so because you need to develop Centers and defensemen not because they are amazing already. 

Craig MacTavish has indicated that there isn’t likely to be a major overhaul, and he generally does what he says so I can’t say I’m expecting a lot of moves. I don’t believe in “untouchables” in hockey, but as a practical matter it’s highly unlikely that a move involving Taylor Hall or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would benefit the team and Jordan Eberle isn’t far behind those two.

At this point I’ve learned to stop expecting ANYTHING from the Oilers. I’m just as confident that MacT will make a bunch of savvy moves this summer and finally propel this team from the basement as I am that MacT will stand pat, let a bunch of rookies and unseasoned minor leaguers plug the continually massive holes in the roster, and the team finishes in the bottom 3 AGAIN next year. 

As for untouchables, at this point I think Nuge is the only one I would confidently put in that box. I mean, I love Taylor Hall and still think he’ll become the superstar we all want him to be, but the Oilers need so much help icing an actual NHL roster that I’d be willing to listen to whichever offers are coming in. PLEASE DON’T HATE ME FOREVER JORDAN!!

I consider Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Oscar Klefbom as untouchables. I don’t believe we’ll see a lot of activity, but rather a trio with impact—G, D and C.

Roster has to be overhauled or the team isn’t good enough. Anybody can be traded (unlikely) if what’s coming back is right.

No such thing as untouchable, but guys I’d be leery of dealing are RNH, Hall, Eberle, Nurse and Klefbom. If the right deal, which is rare, came along for 4 or 14 then you have to consider it.

This will be an easier question to answer once I know the draft position for the Oilers.

My only untouchables are Nuge and Yakupov.  Nuge is obvious, but Yak is an untouchable for me because his trade value is so low that anything the Oilers would get would be an underpayment.  He seems to have that spark back in his game under Nelson, and I’d like to see his wings grow back.

They should use it. Take Hanifin or another C. NO CROUSE.

If the Oilers end up with the third overall pick I imagine they select the best player available; probably either Noah Hanifin or Dylan Strome. In Craig MacTavish’s shoes I’d be open to a trade if there were a high-end young centre or defenceman who could play significant minutes coming the other way, but at this point it’s impossible to know if that’s an option.

I’ve never paid too much attention to draft rankings or any of that (mostly because the Oilers always pick first anyway) but over the last few weeks I’ve read some VERY complimentary articles on both Dylan Strome and Noah Hanifin. I would not be mad at the Oilers if they gave themselves the chance to completely ruin either one of those guys. So, basically, I can’t wait till the Oilers waste that pick on a guy who was projected to go 33rd, but has SUCH a #BigBodyPresence that he was impossible to pass up!

I would spend the pick on Dylan Strome, Mitch Marner of Noah Hanifin. I would rely on my scouts to make the call.

Don’t know. Depends, in part, who they unload between now and draft. Also depends on how top-five picks perform the rest of this season and playoffs and how Edmonton scouting staff ranks them. That’s still a moving target.

I’d use it. Teams will never offer you equal value for that pick. I’d take either Strome or Provorov. Whatever they do, DO NOT draft a winger.

Listen to every offer!!!

I really hate this question.  I can’t wait until the time comes when the Oilers are drafting in the 20-25 range and we won’t really care this much about the first round.  I said the same thing last year, yet here we are.

Because even the terrible Oiler in-game experience is superior to watching a Rogers broadcast?

Basically it comes down to whether or not the entertainment you’re getting out of those tickets is fair value for the money you’re spending on them; that’s not something I can answer for you.

I mean, at this point being a season ticket holder can’t possibly get any worse, right? You’ve already spent all that money to watch horrible teams, you might as well keep throwing it down that pit JUST IN CASE they ever become somewhat competitive at the NHL level again. And NEW ARENA COMING IN HOT! I’m assuming current season ticket holders will get first dibs on much more comfortable seats to watch the Oilers lose from!

I believe the Oilers have a bright future, but I’m not the one plunking down funds to watch the current group. I am absolutely unqualified to give you advice.

You’re an adult. It’s your money. You make the call.

I wish I could help you. I’m going through the exact same dilemma. This is the first year I’m strongly considering not renewing my seats. Most clients simply aren’t interested in using them like in previous years and I don’t see that changing next season either. I’ll read the comments to see if anyone has a good reason.

This is a better question for the Oilers season ticket sale staff.

I’ve been turning down a lot of free tickets lately, so I can’t even imagine what it’s like to pay for them.  It’s a tough call, but I believe (dumbly) that this team will turn around at some point and you’ll wish you still had those tickets.

Changes in my life? I graduated with my BA, graduated with my MA, started working in “the real world”, got married, had a kid, and bought a house. So not a whole lot.

I got married, bought and renovated a house, lived outside the country for the first time, and went from tradesman to salesman to blogger. So nothing major.

Moved to Vancouver, graduated from film school, started an almost decade long career in the television industry, ended an almost decade long career in the television industry, became an honest to goodness professional blogger, grew a beard, moved back to Edmonton, became best friends with Ryan Smyth (may be overstating that one a tad), and grew to hate Baggedmilk more and more with each passing day. Nothing major…..

Chances? Or Changes? Well, my kids grew up and graduated high school, my wife got prettier and I moved from Radio Sales to on-air and blogging. I have paid a lot of my mortgage, sworn off and then embraced demon rye, brought a dog home that is a dear friend and spent many hours yelling at my television.

Became Sam’s dad. Everything else is secondary.

I started writing for Oilersnation, the Edmonton Journal and doing play by play for Edmonton Rush on TV. I got married and have a son and I defeated Strudwick in a hitting contest, a rowing contest and a Karaoke contest.

I got to meet Wanye.

I took business at NAIT, graduated, moved to Australia for a year, came back and got a big boy job, then left and moved to Asia for a year, then I came back to the same big boy job, then Wanye saved me from the rat race.