Quoting: Saskleaf
Genuine question: is it time to consider a McDavid or Draisitl trade? It’s not working. And we know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result
I genuinely think it's time to let both go.
Ken Holland has failed in his mission to repair the Chiarelli Oilers and there isnt anough of anything to provide any long-term solutions.
1. Inappropriate contracts have been awarded not by merit but via loyalty and inept scouting. Kassian was an egregious overpay. Nurse persists as an egregious overpay. Hyman and Kane will likely regress into egregious overpays. For all we've been sold on players wanting to come play with McDavid, it appears that cash remains king when considering a relocation to Edmonton. As an ex-resident, I very much understand this mentality. A scouting decision led to Campbell being signed over Kuemper, not cash. This is a capped-out team that is likely only competitive for at most four more years, at which point a retool or rebuild is inevitable as the core pieces age out.
2. The residue of what used to be Edmonton's prospect system is lacking. Akey may be quality but everything else is middling at best. In four consecutive drafts, Holland and his team has whiffed on their selections. How different do today's Oilers look if instead of Broberg, Holloway, Bourgault, and Schaefer, they had Zegras, Guhle, Wallstedt, and Beck? This is no revisionist history, these are the names that went directly after the Oilers made draft their selections (in Wallstedt's case, I've just voided the trade with Minnesota. The next player selected was Wyatt Johnson, only reinforcing my point). There is no wisdom at play here, no logic worth following. The franchise has been stripped down to stud in the most feeble attempt at giving this team the illusion of competitiveness. Since the 2017 elimination to the Ducks, the Oilers have had depth issues up front, a weak blueline, and inconsistent goaltending. It is always the same song and dance, no matter the GM, coach, or personnel. Our picks are worth little and our prospects are worth less. The futures needed to buy talent at the deadline aren't here.
Moving Connor and Leon today does so while their value is at their highest: despite Edmonton's horrid start, the reputations of these two players alone demands a king's ransom. The Oilers have failed as an organization and wasted the best chance at eternal glory I have ever seen on NHL ice. It's over.
The only path forward that exists for a team with as many holes as this roster maintains is to start over entirely. No other move matters, as the Oilers will not find a way to solve all of their problems. Every AGM I've tried to run can at most solve 2 of the 4 issues plaguing this team at any time. There just isn't anything left and my bank of good will has run dry.
There's a growing part of me that regrets the Oilers not being forced to relocate to Houston in the early 2000s.