While the excitement of the Stanley Cup finals is upon is, it also means, sadly, that the end of another NHL season is upon us. Myself I hate the off season. There isn’t enough warm weather, golf, and BBQ’s for me to forget what I really want, that being October and the start of another NHL season. Those that believe, and I’ve heard to many times, that the NHL season is to long are just crazy as far as I’m concerned, the off season is to long. Anyway, I digress. The off season is a reality and at least the two clubs in my home province of Alberta are both in for what should be a very interesting summer.
The Calgary Flames went into last season favored to win the Northwest division, some may have even considered them an outside team for the winning the Stanley Cup. As we all know the worst possible scenario happened and the club not only didn’t win jack, they didn’t even make the playoffs. In the past week the club has gone on record in saying that heads won’t be rolling and key players, ok maybe player, that being Iginla, won’t be traded. I find that fascinating. Many a expert had Calgary GM Daryll Sutter losing his job if he didn’t find a way for the Flames to get past the 1st round for the first time since the club went to the Stanley Cup finals in 2003-2004. I felt the same way. Yet here we are, with a team that failed harder then the worst case scenario of making past the 1st round and no ones getting fired?
Wow.
To say the least.
I figure the Flames situation is the exact same one that the Oilers where in with Craig MacTavish at the end of last years season. It’s not that Sutter has done a bad job, but he has done all he can do. I believe by not implementing change at this juncture that the Flames are on an edge of a cliff that once can be connected back to their provincial rival. Mediocrity. That’s a road that the Flames don’t want to go down, becuase it never corrects itself. If your not on top winning, you want to be dead last. Being stuck in the middle, not very good, but not the worst, always fighting for that 7th or 8th playoff spot if your lucky, is the worst place for a team of Calgary’s build to be and I’ll tell you why. To win in today’s NHL you have to draft and draft well. The Flames under the Sutter model haven’t drafted and once again won’t be drafting this June unless they make some interesting moves in the next 25 days. They are an older team, stuck up against the cap, with no new infusion of youth in sight. So how do they get better? In my opinion they don’t.
The Oilers aren’t exactly in a much prettier boat, they did finish dead last in the NHL after all. Sure they get the 1st pick in this years NHL Entry Draft as the proverbial carrot at the end of the stick, but I can tell you as a fan, this past year was one of the longest seasons of hockey I have gone through. Knowing your club doesn’t have a sniff of making the playoffs in December, stinks. Paying a $100 bucks to watch hockey that doesn’t matter to your club, stinks. Knowing the off season for you is 2 months longer then then it is for Hawks and Flyer fans, stinks. It’s a path that is necessary though I firmly believe. The Oilers have tried everything to be a better hockey club. Trades, offer sheets, and backing up boatloads of money to UFA’s hasn’t worked out very well now has it? The missing element is the same one that is hurting Calgary, no home grow talent. Thankfully this is where an Oiler fan can get a grin on his or hers face. The players set to pull on Oilers jerseys, maybe as soon as this Fall, is pretty exciting. Most believe Jordan Eberle will make the 2010 Oiler team, I tend to agree. He isn’t going back to junior, that I will guarantee. Part of me thinks that if he struggles at camp he could start the season in the AHL however, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. He looked good collecting 14 points in 11 games in the AHL with the Falcons to wrap this years season. He is going to play pro this year and that’s all that matters to me, no need to rush the guy, the Oilers aren’t winning a cup next year anyway. The player that’s under the radar in my opinion for the Oilers is Magnus Paajarvi Svensson. He has been playing against men for years now in the Swedish Elite league and his showing at both the Olympics and the World Championships tells me he is capable of making an impact in the NHL immediately. I wouldn’t be surprised to see both Eberle and Svensson on the Oilers team next year, but I honsetly feel that if only 1 makes it, Svensson could very well be the guy. Needless to say I can’t wait for training camp.
Last but not least, June’s Entry Draft. It’s being called the Oilers most important pick ever. A franchise moment. I think it’s a pile of fluff. Is it really that important when the consensus is that Hall or Seguin are win/win? It’s important in that the club gets a talent they have failed to acquire in any other manner, but the 1st pick is not what makes or breaks the Edmonton Oilers. They know what they are getting with the 1st pick. The other 8 picks they have, maybe 9 depending on what Calgary does with a conditional pick they sent the Oil in the Staios trade, is the key. The Oilers farm system is as bare as a babies ass right now, the team needs to restock the shelves in the worst way. The club is preaching the plan of draft and develop, I believe in that plan, but talking and walking are two different things. I guess, at the very least, Oilers fans like me only have 1 more month to find out of the franchise will practice what they preach.
Then again, this is just another damned opinion.
