RapierShot

Seems like Lucic is rumoured to be clearing his NMC, on the trade block, etc. If nothing else, it spices up the off-season.... Pretty much an accepted fact that last season was his worst in recent years and, hopefully, it's his low point. While he didn't miss any games, at times he looked to be playing hurt and other times he looked out of shape/slow or simply disinterested.. Those are things he can improve on and coaches can work on. A priority has to be his physical conditioning - throughout the season. I hope the coaches focus on getting his game up (as opposed to just hoping it picks up). Play with Leon, work the left corner in the Ozone, and head for the net. Head for the bench when the puck leaves the Ozone. Rinse and repeat...for 17+ minutes a game. It may not be stellar but can be effective when the commitment is there. That's pretty much how Lucic got 50 pts in 2016-17 and 55 in 2015-16. If Leon gets a steady diet of better-than-average right wing on his line, Lucic becomes a plus rather than a go-to guy. Watching the SC finals and seeing Tom Wilson bang, crash and beat up on the VGKs reminded me why having a Lucic is still important (yeah the game is faster now but the hitting/nastiness is ever present, especially in the playoffs). As long as McD is an Oiler, we better recognize and address that. Looking forward to seeing Lucic at camp!

Congrats to the Caps...and Ovie! Job well done. Even so, VGK comes out of this with huge respect and street cred....will be interesting to see how season 2 goes. Now, can we fast forward to October??????

OJF...I believe that motivation is necessary for any important endeavour but that motivation comes from within a person, for their own reasons and needs. Someone standing in the middle of a dressing room shouldn't be expected to motivate a player (to succeed) but rather provide those players with a reason to buy into his plan, system, etc. (in other words, make his plan appear reasonable and workable). Where the problems come in is when the player is motivated to play but does believe or buy into the coach's philosophy, strategy or game plans. That player then becomes a candidate for playing somewhere else (David Perron is a good example of that when he was with the Oilers). The Gipper speech stuff is really all about arousing emotional attitude in a situation and not really about motivation at all. Motivation is driven by an individual's needs (survive and succeed) and is very much a personal matter.

I'm hoping the coaches were hired for their tactical and strategic knowledge of the game...if they are up to speed in those regards, they will have an impact.

I gotta agree with Fog regarding the power of speeches in a professional setting. Those types of speeches / comments go in one ear and out the other - unprocessed. It's more meaningful for a coach to point out some tactical problems ("they're overloading on our right side on their rushes...our centers have to pick that up...") or tactical changes ("we're going to go faster on the line changes in their end..."). Pro athletes that dedicate their off-seasons to performance training and working with skill experts are already very motivated and no coach is going to improve that. On the other hand, athletes that let that slide have blocked out motivation to a large extent.

Decent backup numbers for a decent backup contract.....if he plays along those lines, we'll be ahead.

Thanks for that piece on Seguin, Yuke....that put the picture together....in the past, there were only snippets from Boston media alluding to the off-ice stuff that led to his trade.

The coaching dynamics could become interesting / dysfunctional / rocky / successful....likely with equal probabilities. TM had assts that all sang from the same page...that was their history together and the add of Herbers didn't rock that boat. IF we assume that TM will be joined by Yawney and Gulutzan then the dynamics could change significantly: . if there's disagreement on big picture or game systems, who is expected to defer...the "old" coach or the successors? . who will be expected to communicate with the room and forge a strong relationship with the team? . and, most importantly, who has PC's backing when it matters? I was hoping that next season would be about roster improvements and some key systems improvements...but it looks like there could be a lot more.

You're right, Fog....we do have a problem that way. Our only hope is to build a franchise / team that is all about success....should attract more players than we do now.

Agree with a lot of what you said, OJF. Our track record in drafting; developing and marinating; and, deploying the kids has been a failure. Compounding those problems is our track record in finding and signing vets. We overpay and over estimate their abilities and value to the team (past prime and waiver specials). To a large extent, this is why I'm somewhat sympathetic to the coaching - they never get a decent roster to work with and the depth is underwhelming. The overachieving from last year put the lipstick on the pig and essentially covered up a lot of structural flaws. This season really shone the light on things....so we should be grateful for the reality check coming sooner rather than later (i.e. early in McD's career). Will there be meaningful, long-term changes? Or carry on gang?

lol....Honest, I'm not trying to make a case for trading the pick, Fog!

I think the 10th pick is pretty much getting traded....just from hearing PC's thoughts about the draft earlier. The player they wanted is likely in the top 7 or so. Memory lane....the last time the Oilers drafted a 10th pick was 2009 and they picked........magnus paajarvi.

Stay tuned tonight folks (Sat Apr 28) to watch the Oilers win the Gold Card #1 draft pick! Just as we defied all odds in falling in the standings this season, we will defy the odds again and claim "our rightful" prize!!!

The whole coaching story hasn't played out yet - need to know who's coming in. But so far, PC, TM and Woodcroft have bought themselves a year (maybe more, maybe less) to set things right. TM's position is especially tenuous - he's PC's next fall guy and he's likely to be joined on the bench by people looking to replace him. Hard to muster up a lot of drive and enthusiasm in those circumstances. Hopefully Nicholson also whispered in PC's ear about not being happy with the job done on the roster. This is the start of accountability - but only the start - as there was none to build on from previous years. Let's look at sorting out the "hangers on"....what's Coffey's role going forward? If it's fuzzy or unsuitable, pass him by. Is Gretzky's role larger than roving ambassador? And the biggie....what hockey management role are Lowe & Co. going to be responsible for? Hopefully, Nicholson not only understands how all this impedes organizational success but is determined enough to take it on, and get Katz to buy in.

As mentioned, Anaheim will need to replenish their Dcorp. Klefbom brings experience, can chew up 22 minutes a game, and play PP. If he's expected to only do about 17-18 minutes, his game will improve (more selective situations for now), as well as being partnered with a strong Dman (Montour or Lindholm for example). Plus, he brings a good contract with him. The Dmarket is always thin (unless teams pay the high prices) and a young Dman with some seasoning should be looked at.