Since talking about the playoffs isn’t an option for us this year, I wanted to put something fun together so that we can all have a laugh in these dark, playoff-less days — Gord knows we could use a chuckle. My friends, it’s photoshop contest time.

In the four+ years since I started working at Oilersnation, there are two things that have consistently made me happy: Photoshop contests and Connor McDavid. Unfortunately, the Oilers missed the playoffs again this year so I’m not allowed to watch Connor play right now which is endlessly upsetting, but I can put together a photoshop contest to bring a little levity back to the site. Needless to say, I think we could all use a laugh right about now and the photoshop contests never fail to give us a chuckle. With that in mind, I wanted to brighten the mood around here a little bit by putting your creative genius to work and using those skills for good instead of evil. Needless to say, we could all use a little light in an otherwise darkened Oilers world.

So what is the theme of this here photoshop contest? I thought you’d never ask.

A photoshop contest without a theme is like the Edmonton Oilers without Connor McDavid — sad and without direction. Now that they’ve missed the playoffs again, I think it’s fair to ask whether or not the Oilers have a clear direction? Bob Nicholson seems to think they do. When he spoke to the media last week, he mentioned that he fully believes and trusts in Peter Chiarelli’s plan for the franchise, and that more details of said plan would be revealed in time. Well, I’m impatient and I don’t like waiting for these kinds of things, so I’ve decided that I need you guys to tell me what Peter Chiarelli’s offseason plan is.

With that in mind, the theme of this photoshop contest is… Peter Chiarelli’s offseason gameplan.

The rules for the contest are simple; you have to create an original Photoshop that fits within the theme of “Pete’s Plan” – the rest is up to you. All I ask is that you try to make your pictures as creative and as ridiculous as possible to give us all a laugh in this time of need. As you know Nation voters demand quality photoshop entries and if you’re going to win a prize then you’re going to have to earn it.

The deadline to enter will be Friday, April 27th at 11:59 pm. That gives you a week to put together your masterpiece and fired it off to me. Anything that comes in past that deadline will be disqualified unless it is so good that it blows my mind out the back of my skull. From there, I’ll round up the boys at Nation HQ and pick the five best and put them up for a vote.

To submit your entry, you can email it to me directly at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com. Make sense? Of course it does.

Since we can’t have a photoshop contest without prizes (Connor wouldn’t want it that way) I raided Wanye’s desk, the NationGear warehouse (read: basement), and bothered our partners until they were willing to pay up with something to get me to shut up. I want to thank Print Machine, Oodle Noodle, and The Pint for always stepping up, and for very rarely kicking me out.

Now go forth, fire up your Commodore 64, get the creative juices flowing, and kill off as much company time as you possibly can before next week’s deadline. There is no limit to how many times you can enter this contest and that means the more entries you submit the better chance you’ll have at sending a winner.

Good luck, Nation. We’re all counting on you. May the force be with you, but mostly with me.