I don't even think it's a personnel problem in Edmonton. It's been the same story for years; terrible culture. Coach after coach after coach has gone through the franchise saying the same thing. MacT, Pat Quinn, Tom Renney, Ralph Krueger, and now Dallas Eakins have all got the same result because it's a problem the coaches have no control over.
MacT called out the players for being lazy, refusing to listen, etc.
Quinn ditto.
Renney ditto.
Krueger never did, but you could see the results were the same.
Eakins benched Yakupov and Oilers fans went nuts.
On Penner
Quote:
"He's not competitive enough or fit enough to help us, so why put him back in? He's never been fit enough to help us," Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish told the Sun. "We signed him to be a top-two line player and that's kind of where it ended. The difference was we thought the contract was a starting point, and he's viewed it as a finish line.
"What we've seen is inconsistency, we need him to be a better player," MacTavish told the Sun. "You can't just continue to throw gratuitous ice time at a guy that is that inconsistent. Something's got to change.
"The frustrating thing for me is that he's got the game and he just can't find it. You have to put the work in. He's got the game. He's got a great set of tools, he just lacks the horsepower."
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We've heard the same of Hemsky, Horcoff, etc. and now we're hearing it with Yakupov. RNH signed to a $6M/year long-term contract for doing nothing. Yakupov knows he'll get the same regardless of performance because of his pedigree.
Souray nearly had his career ended because he called the organization out.
Exclusive: Sheldon Souray asks to be traded - Sportsnet.ca
Quote:
"I got challenged by management on the very first day of my first training camp. The very first day," he said. "They said, ‘When are you going to play?’ I said, ‘I have a six month (shoulder) injury and I’m at five months.’ But I played.
"I’ve had the experience of playing in great organizations (in New Jersey and Montreal), and experienced a vastly different approach to things like that. I was a captain in Montreal. I never had my character questioned there, or in New Jersey. I feel that’s all I’ve had since I’ve been here.’"
“You talk about Prongs (Chris Pronger) and guys like that, and it should raise an eyebrow when players who leave town are skipping out with a smile on their face.”
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Is it any wonder that Hemsky, Horcoff, and now RNH are always injured?
Is it any wonder that as soon as guys leave the Oilers, they start playing substantially better with substantially more effort?
Edmonton will never be a contender until they clear out upper management. The day Kevin Lowe gets canned is the day I'll be afraid of the Oilers.