Past mistakes have hurt the Oilers' cup chances.
As many say, hindsight is 20/20 it's true. Most NHL fans do not want to dwell on mistakes that their favourite team has and would like to move on and see what the team has in store for the future.
With superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the Oilers' arsenal with a blossoming Ryan Nugent Hopkins, some cannot help but notice what the Oilers did in the past and think what the team could be like today if some of those moves didn't happen.
During the Peter Chiarelli era, some moves made fans scratch their heads. The trade of Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson was a major failure for the Oilers.
Even though the Oilers didn't have the best defenseman at the time, this trade should have been examined in more detail and avoided.
In recent times, one of the biggest blunders I felt the Oilers have done is acquiring Jack Campbell in free agency. Campbell, the former starting goaltender of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was mired in some terrible playoff play even throughout the season his numbers were not the most spectacular, especially in the second half of the year.
Yes he was battling some injuries and I'll be fair about that but when push came to shove, general manager ken holland felt it was necessary to sign Stuart Skinner to a three-year extension and make him the starting goaltender over his prize goalie of the unrestricted free agency.
That contract is difficult to move and stymied the Oilers from acquiring another goaltender. Finally, the signing of Milan Lucic to a seven-year contract was also a misstep by the Oilers.
At the time, his play and his speed were beginning to decline at a rapid rate and his prime was well past him. However, the Oilers felt that it was necessary to sign him and awarded him of seven-year $42 million contract which the earliest had to buy out and it still costs them $1.92 million per year. That money could be used to help acquire a bottom-six forward or even a bottom-three pairing defenseman for a playoff push.
Hindsight can be 2020, many hockey fans are aware of what would make sense. I think the Oilers would be far ahead if these moves did not happen.
| POLL | ||
Which move do you hate the most in the Oilers recent past? | ||
| Hall for Larsson | 160 | 22.1 % |
| Lucic for 7 seasons | 258 | 35.7 % |
| Signing of Jack Campbell | 135 | 18.7 % |
| Trading Jordan Eberle | 170 | 23.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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