Monday Mailbag – Who Will Vegas Take?

We’re another week closer to Christmas and we’re talking about the playoffs rather than the draft lottery. How will we ever suffer through this wait to see whether or not they make it or not? Luckily, the Mailbag is here to answer all of life’s important questions and help us all kill a little bit of time. Can the wisdom given in this week’s mailbag apply to your life? Maybe. I feel pretty good about it. If you have something you’d like to ask, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or hit me up on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk. Now sit back, relax, and waste as much company time as possible. Have a good week, everybody.

Sure, but at some point the organization has to start winning consistently. Fans in Phoenix and area should be rewarded for loyalty, and all those taxpayer dollars spent.

I’m more surprised people in the Phoenix area have an appetite for another arena. They are the only team in NHL history I can think of who will have three rinks still running in their market, and they’ll have played in all three.

Let’s wait and see how negotiations on the financing go. The Coyotes are (like so many sports teams) looking for a massive chunk of money from the government to make their shiny new arena a reality.

Arena deal isn’t done. More rope than I expected, but that’s how Gary Bettman rolls when it comes to teams moving.

I’m no longer surprised by the lengths that the NHL will go to prop up desert hockey. I would have allowed that franchise to go to Las Vegas well before I expanded the NHL. That’s for sure.

I suppose? Maybe it’s an “If you build it, they will come” sort of thing. Maybe Bettman will do ANYTHING to not bring another team to Canada? Tough to say.

Remember when that Blackberry dude tried to buy the Coyotes in bankruptcy court or something like that? Good times. If I’m being honest, I’m surprised that team has lasted in Arizona for 20 years, but it’s obvious that it’s not leaving without a fight so who knows what will happen. I would have guessed they would have been gone years ago so what the hell do I know?

If I am George McPhee, I would target Brandon Davidson and Benoit Pouliot. Griffin Reinhart may draw back into the conversation if he plays a lot after returning from injury.

Today, yes he would be first choice, but a lot can change depending on trades and such before June.

If I’m George McPhee, I’m probably looking at Davidson as things are right now. However, there are going to be a lot of exposed left-shot defencemen when the expansion draft comes, so I’d probably see if I could cut a deal with the Oilers. Benoit Pouliot and Mark Fayne are both serviceable NHL players who bring something hard to find in expansion (offence and a right shot, respectively) and both are on contracts that Edmonton would love to be rid of. I’d probably call up Peter Chiarelli and see what I could get in exchange for selecting one of them instead of Davidson. Las Vegas, realistically, is probably five years away from being competitive, so getting a) a guy who can play now and can be cashed in as a rental later and b) picks/prospects is probably the way to go.

Won’t know the target until we see the protected list. Davidson isn’t a bad bet, though.

It’s between Pouliot and Davidson for me. If the Golden Knights find some decent LHD via the expansion draft then picking up Pouliot makes sense because he’s a solid vet and can help them get up to salary cap minimums. If they are weak on the left side then Davidson is an excellent bet.

George McPhee already took General Fanager from us so he better stay away from our players!

Mark Fayne! Kidding. It’ll probably be someone like Pouliot or Davidson. I really hope they don’t take Maroon, because I know he’d be an option on my list if I was in charge.

I would just add Laine’s shot to McDavid to be honest. Even then, I would be an idiot to alter McDavid. I am thrilled to be watching him play the game, will leave it at that. 

Gretzky awareness and smarts, with Lemieux size, Howe longevity and Messier meanness.

*stares*

I take everything that is McDavid and add Mario Lemieux’s size and Wayne Gretzky’s competitiveness.

Ok. I’m going to pick ONLY former Oilers to do this and I won’t use anyone in the Hall of Fame. Why? Because I’m ignoring my family and this will take a bit longer. Alright, so obviously you need Todd Marchant’s legs. Can’t get McDavid speed without that, but you also need Hemsky’s puck-carrying ability. Mix in also Gagner’s puck handling in tight. Give the player Doug Weight’s passing ability and post-lockout Horcoff’s shot. Lastly, give him Rob Schremp’s vision and Marty Reasoner’s Hockey IQ. Boom. McDavid 2.0!

Connor’s speed, Datsyuk’s hands, Gretzky’s vision, Ryan Jones’ flow, Auston Matthews’ current salary hit, Seguin’s face, Klefbom’s abs…. what were we talking about again?

I would take everything Connor has now and put it in Zdeno Chara’s body. How terrifying of a human being would Connor McDavid be if he was also seven feet tall? To answer the question I would go with Crosby’s speed (if I can’t have Connor’s), Ovechkin’s shot, Gretzky’s brain, Chara’s body, and Lemieux’s hands. I also like Chris’ answer of Klefbom’s abs so I’m going to throw some of that in there too. 

The Pacific Division is quite weak, so Edmonton could emerge as the power in the division this year. If they don’t win it this year, won’t be long.

I’d be surprised if they win the division, but the more they win the more confidence they will gain. I’d say it is a long shot they finish ahead of all three West Coast teams, Anaheim, LA and San Jose

It’s not outside the realm of possibility, but I don’t expect it. San Jose would be my pick at this point, though they’re far from a lock. Edmonton is on the upswing, Los Angeles seems to have found its feet and it’s still too early to rule out Anaheim.

Could? Sure. Will? How’d you like those games against Arizona?

Yes. They could win the Pacific, but the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks are also capable of winning it.

The inner Oiler in me is still convinced that something bad will happen so it’s hard to get over that thought. My guess is that they won’t win division, but will finish top three by the end of the season.

They’re going to be in tough to beat the Califonia teams, but I think it’s anyone’s game this year. The Pacific isn’t what it once was and you never know what can happen if the Oilers get hot again at the right time. I say yes!

Right wing is an area of weakness, I would like to see the team add a veteran there. Backup goalie is a concern and of course a PP hammer from the point who is a righty—of course, that could be the RW they bring in.

Consistency, but that will only come from more experience. They still have a very young team with ten players with fewer than 135 NHL games experience: McDavid, Draisaitl, Puljujarvi, Pitlick, Caggiula, Slepyshev, Nurse, Klefbom Benning and Davidson when he returns.

It’s the same question we considered in the summer in a lot of ways, and the answers are the same now. There’s a need for right shots on the power play, recent successes notwithstanding, as well as room for a proven offensive producer at evens on right wing. A right-shooting, puck-moving defenceman would also be a good add to the depth chart – a fully mature version of Matt Benning with power play ability would be nice. And heaven forbid anything happen to Cam Talbot.

Consistency in execution. Swings in performance between wins over teams like Detroit and Chicago and losses to teams like Buffalo and Arizona still too great. 

The team could use a better backup goaltender, a more reliable 3RW, a Power Play QB RHD.

NEED MOAR MCDAVID’S!  I would hope for some more consistency. They broke out of one bad slump, I have a feeling there are more to come. I understand everyone goes through bad times, but I hope we can consistently win throughout the rest of the year.

Two things for me. 1) Please hire someone, a psychologist, a guru, a shaman, or a coach that will help them learn to hit the net. It’s mind blowing how often these guys miss the net. 2) Please, Gord, send us someone that can finish on even 50% of the chances McDavid creates. If the Oilers converted every time Connor set them up they would score 10 goals per night. Please. Find. A. Way. To. Finish.