OILERS TRADE RAEG

[Mr. Analog]

So we keep Sad Sack, pay him 10 million bones and then we trade away Gilbert?

W in the ever' lovin' F

[Thorin]

Well, you know, our problem was defense, so trading away the defenseman that advanced stats clearly show to be the strongest defenseman, well, that's exactly what the Oilers would do, isn't it?

Sure, if you don't look at any advanced stats you might think Gilbert isn't enough of a defenseman in his own end.  But that's because he'll actually try and take the puck away from the other team, rather than just stand in the way of the shot, screening his own goalie.  And after he gets it, he'll then make a play with it.

The most hilarious news I heard was that they're expecting the new guy, Schultz, to be a top-pairing D with Whitney.  Yeah, because Whitney is so good. [/sarcasm]

[Mr. Analog]

Like I said, I just don't get it.

-Feel miserable today
-Hear THIS

AUGH

[Thorin]

I stopped watching a few minutes into the third period last night, because:

1. I was tired
2. Yann Danis got put in net (Oil hired that guy to backstop their farm team, for god's sake, what's he doing in the NHL?!)
3. Oilers were sucking it bad: puck getting passed to the other team, skaters out of position constantly, couldn't hold onto a puck if their life was on the line
4. The Great White Hope, Schultz, sold to us as a stay-at-home defenseman, pinched up a bunch of times and kept being late to the party back at home
5. Schultz's partner Whitney got beat on straight-out races for the puck
6. I had to get up at 4am to drive Oma to the airport

But hey, Schultz and Whitney, they're our top-pairing D now.  Maybe they'll gel in a couple of games and it'll get better, but man, that game sucked to watch.  I guess that's what happens when the Oil play a top-five team, I guess.

[Mr. Analog]

I know!! What where they THINKING

You don't put a farm league goalie in net against a team like St. Louis are you kidding me? I hate this "give up" attitude the coaching staff seem to have, like are they already getting their golf clubs out of storage or what?

EFFORT guys EFFORT, fight for 3rd last place AT LEAST

As well, that $10 million they forked out for Sad Sack for the next 2 years really paid off last night

ARGH

[Thorin]

I saw Hemsky better than you, I think.  Keep in mind he's a winger, so his defensive responsibilities are less than the centers and the defensemen.  In fact, as pissed as I was that he almost ran over Hall while play was in the Blues end at their blue line, which in turn led to a rush and a can opener move and a penalty shot that of course they scored on, as pissed as I was at that, when reviewing the play it started with Hemsky jumping off the bench and hustling at top speed into the end to try and keep the puck in that Hall had kinda lost off his stick.  That's effort, just poor execution (if he'd yelled, "Mine", Hall would've backed off).

God, that was a long run-on sentence.

[Mr. Analog]

See it's stuff like that that separates the champs from the chumps though.