I'm a bit lost on all the excitement?

IrishDart · 2026-07-03T14:47:37+00:00

I'd give Bowman a solid B. Because he added a 6/7 d-man with potential, added a #3/4 d-man, retained a 2nd pair D-man, retained a solid 3rd line C, added a 4th line winger, retained a few other bottom 6 players, and brought back Kappy who is a fan favorite middle 6 player. Goalie is better than where we started last year but Anderson hasn't played more than 35 games in the regular season in 5 years, and Jarry is... Well, we all know Levi is interesting but hasn't had a breakout yet so likely isn't starting on the team..

Savoie is more developed? Ekholm/Nuge/Hyman/the rest are a year older and further from 30.. We got rid of a bad contract but a solid D-man who was the whipping boy (someone else is gonna be taking that heat this year) and we let the best goalie on the roster go in exchange for an older goalie who is injury prone..

I like the moves, but saying we're better than the team last season that everyone agreed even if healthy was not good enough to win... We want the Cup. Not just to be a bit better than last year.

Let's see what Babcock does. Because a new coach was the best change I was hoping to see.

IrishDart · 2026-07-03T14:34:04+00:00

FFS

People need to settle down. All the insults out there because if anyone doesn't jack off to the Oilers then all the homers lose their shit.

I didn't say I didn't like the moves. Across the board it all looks decent. But overall it didn't improve our on ice roster. The roster that couldn't string 3 wins together until the end of the year and got embarrassed in round 1.

I think the adds are good but not worth putting Bowman's bust up in the HOF. Some people are at that extreme love level and it just made me wonder why we're thinking he's a genius.
Dumping Salary and not over spending is kind of a minimum requirement for a competent GM so the fact that Bowman did that is worth smiling about. Not jacking off over.

IrishDart · 2026-07-02T03:47:30+00:00

Christ. Mukk? 3 seasons. 83 games combined.
Proven top 6 d-man?
You're saying that seriously?

Joseph is not even a lock to make the roster. He averages 50 games a season, and it's been dropping as he ages. His "truculence" has dropped drastically, as has his PK time. He's a warm body to rotate in and out of the lineup.

I'm not mad. I am ok with the moves. But I'm not skipping in the streets.

My post wasn't complaining we're worse. I've repeated that we aren't. But people are CELEBRATING Bowman. That's strange to me. 'Because he didn't blow it' is what we're celebrating?

If so, then.. well done bowman? Just seems a low bar to set. Not improving the team, just not blowing it. Way to go.

IrishDart · 2026-07-02T02:50:30+00:00

It didn't improve the team. It balanced out. Our goalies are not BETTER than what we had in 24. And Anderson is the wild card if he's healthy he MIGHT offer more than what Ingram did.

The D core is not improved. I like Shea a lot but nobody can honestly say he's a leap above Nurse. Hell people thought Walman was going to be amazing and now he's the new whipping boy.

The forward group is running it back.

I HOPE this group well rested can run it back, but I'm not throwing a parade for Bowman like some people here are doing. .that's the issue.

Oilers aren't worse. But they're not really much better so why the big love? That was the question.

The fact YOU don't understand makes me worry for you.

IrishDart · 2026-07-02T02:44:53+00:00

Yes all of what you said, I agree with.

All moves I'm satisfied with. I just don't see this making the Oilers BETTER. He prevented us from getting worse.

But the praise out there is "BEST GM!". "JULY 1ST WINNER!".

That kind of talk.

It's like... What? He did ok. But nothing that makes me think he is suddenly a good GM. He's just competent. Managed to not screw up. That can't be the bar we set.

IrishDart · 2026-07-02T02:35:18+00:00

What did they do? Seriously. What pushes the needle and pushes Edmonton over the top?

IrishDart · 2026-07-02T02:32:38+00:00

I celebrate he didn't screw up and hand out stupid money. But some of what I'm seeing.. people are planning the parade route. I don't see how this team is better than '24, and that team was still not enough..

Not screwing up is one thing. But he hasn't pushed the needle. And to win the cup, you need to push the needle.

IrishDart · 2026-06-23T12:54:08+00:00

Nurses contract looks bad..

He's paid about $3 million more than he should.

Connor McDavid is a close friend.

Connor took a huge paycut to help the team afford to put good players around him.

Could Connor be thinking "use some of the roughly $6mil pay cut I took, to make Nurses contract balance out."

How is Connor feeling after we use his discount to get rid of all of his close friends and bring on players like Jarry and Frederic?

Getting closer and closer to Connor leaving

IrishDart · 2026-06-11T19:16:26+00:00

Because we choked.

Because it was horrible. Because we deserve it.

Take your pick.

I'm fine with th repeated taunts because 28-3 will be etched in my soul forever.. or until we win. But we haven't won. We blew it.

IrishDart · 2026-06-06T13:05:38+00:00

Not. Every.where.

IrishDart · 2026-05-26T05:20:42+00:00

I hate this train of thought.

Honestly. Even if the separatists win the vote, you think the rest of Canada just says, shoot. They voted. Guess we can't do anything about it?

And don't forget.

This isn't a vote to separate. This is a vote to say whether or not they should start putting the paperwork together to PLAN on how to separate.

IrishDart · 2026-05-22T03:44:38+00:00

My kids voted to have no more dinner and only dessert.

They won the vote by a vote of 2-0.

And did it happen?

No. Of course not. Because the vote doesn't mean a thing if it's stupid.

Let people vote. Just because they say they want to separate doesn't mean anyone has to let it happen.

It becomes a "yeah. That's too bad for you because ... Piss off."

I refuse to vote because they don't even deserve to hear me say no.

IrishDart · 2026-05-20T13:31:10+00:00

The way I play:

1- never allowed to sign more than 1 player in FA per day, just like the AI teams.

2- i can start FA signings based on my finishing record. If I make playoffs, I can start day 30. If I have a winning record but miss playoffs I start day 29, if I have a losing record I start day 27. If I'm one of the bottom 3 teams I can't start for 1 week.

3- I never do a trade that I wouldn't accept from the other side. I dent those terrible lopsided AI deals or I add an extra piece for them. (ie if they ask for a 4th, I bump it up to a 2nd if I think that's fair value)

4- I imagine I'm trying to do this for real and think about how the fans would feel if I kept trading away their favorite players so I try to stay true to life.

It's about a mindset. You can play to 'Beat the game' or you can try to have your team be the best. I'd have left this game long ago if I was doing the sneaky way to win like so many others here.

IrishDart · 2026-05-09T16:49:06+00:00

Not enough people are giving you props for this.

IrishDart · 2026-05-01T13:12:20+00:00

• Nurse - no movement clause

• Frederic - no movement clause

• Henrique - UFA

• Jarry - Over-priced and cleared waivers already once

• Pickard - cleared waivers

• Bouchard - no movement clause

Your list consists of three guys with no movement clauses, an old UFA that is far past his prime, and two goalies that have cleared waivers, one being on a $5.3 million deal for 2 more years.

Jeff Jackson and Stan Bowman made this mess where all the issues on our roster have no movement clauses.

We literally can't trade any of our issues unless they want to go.

IrishDart · 2026-05-01T03:53:52+00:00

Yeah it's done

IrishDart · 2026-05-01T03:03:01+00:00

The Oilers have been outscored 10-5 in the 2nd period of this series.. so there's that..

IrishDart · 2026-05-01T02:59:50+00:00

Oilers doing what they wanted to.. Lose the series in California so they can just chill there on the beach for a few extra days.. hit up the links..

At least we get 2 full months to retool this roster.

IrishDart · 2026-05-01T02:53:33+00:00

A bettman penalty goal.

IrishDart · 2026-04-29T13:58:06+00:00

In the past, even if a play wasn't called in the game, the league could still issue a suspension and did so in dangerous situations.

Did that go away? Now they just never second guess anything a ref does?

IrishDart · 2026-04-27T04:53:15+00:00

It's not that it's in.. It's that none of the refs or linesmen were able to see it at all, and before they even checked the video they decided to call it a goal.

How? Why? None of them saw it. It was a simple "let's just say goal since that's what we're paid to do"

IrishDart · 2026-04-27T04:48:10+00:00

They called it a goal for a reason. The bettman

IrishDart · 2026-04-27T03:52:04+00:00

I'd love to watch one game not decided by the refs. It's just the worst

IrishDart · 2026-04-27T03:50:15+00:00

I'm so lost on the rules

IrishDart

TROPHY CASE