Craig MacTavish flies to Finland to scout Patrik Laine. The problem? Laine and his team are in Sweden

[JR Ewing]

Only the Edmonton Oilers could send a man all the way to Finland to scout a player, but not even know that the kid's schedule has him in a completely different country at the time:
 

Quote

 

Espoo Oilers on Wednesday arrived in the sports Craig MacTavish and scoutti James McGregor .

The pair told the Iltalehti had come to watch Patrik Laine's play. 17-year-old Laine is one of the favorites when the NHL's first summer conference reservation.

- We came into the game and we realized that Laine not play all, MacTavish fretted.

Not playing, not. Laine is accompanied by lions in Sweden.

However, the Oilers duo missed the Blues-Tappara-match.

- Now, just watch. Always something new to learn, or what?

MacTavish, former Oilers head coach and GM, mentioned Tappara Jani Lajunen to be a good player.

Tomorrow the men will drive Oilers Rauma to observe the under 18-year-olds in the five tournaments.

- And on Friday, we will go to Vaasa look at the Jesse Puljujärvi .

 

 

http://www.iltalehti.fi/nhl/2016021021099628_nh.shtml

 

My favorite part is where MacT says "Eh, we're here... Might as well watch THIS game."

 

What an embarrassment.

 

 

[flyercanuck]

LOL....what an org. 

[Podein25]

Unbelievable. 

[JagerMeister]

And people wonder why the Oilers are what they are...

[JR Ewing]

For a very long time, the Oilers have been operating in the Poetic Justice portion, and things have to change.

 

I don't believe that Peter Chiarelli won a Stanley Cup with the Bruins by accident. His record isn't perfect, but nevertheless, he helped turn things around. However, there are issues in Edmonton. Owner Daryl Katz is best friends with Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish, and they have been insulated from their own mistakes. Lowe's time in management is mixed: early on, he produced good results on a budget that pretty much no GM has ever been forced to work under, including been forced to not even have an AHL team for a period. After 2006, he lost all sense, and has a level of arrogance not commensurate with his record of success. Craig MacTavish was (imo) a decent NHL coach, but has a mostly bad record as a manager. They both have made terrific contributions to this team, but that was during their playing days. Their time in management has really tarnished what should have been gold.

 

Things like this are an example of why Lowe and MacTavish need to be completely excised in order for the rebuild to really progress.

[JR Ewing]

1 minute ago, JagerMeister said:

And people wonder why the Oilers at what they are...

 

In fairness, this year is just a lost season. Any team would have been crushed by the injuries they've suffered, let alone a rebuilding club. Despite that, they've cut their goal differential in half, and have been competitive in nearly every game they've played this season. There are issues; huge issues, like the presence of Lowe and MacTavish, both of whom seem content to put in their best keystone cops routine.

 

[JagerMeister]

@JR Ewing True, its just that this incident illustrates the ineptitude of Craig MacTavish...

[WordsOfWisdom]

3 hours ago, JR Ewing said:

Only the Edmonton Oilers could send a man all the way to Finland to scout a player, but not even know that the kid's schedule has him in a completely different country at the time:
 

 

http://www.iltalehti.fi/nhl/2016021021099628_nh.shtml

 

My favorite part is where MacT says "Eh, we're here... Might as well watch THIS game."

 

What an embarrassment.

 

 

 

PRO SCOUTING:  Oilers style!   

 

If attention to detail in this instance is any indication of how EVERYTHING ELSE is handled by Oilers management, then I'd say it makes perfect sense that this team is dead last every year. I don't think they have a clue what they're doing. 

[JR Ewing]

32 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

PRO SCOUTING:  Oilers style!   

 

If attention to detail in this instance is any indication of how EVERYTHING ELSE is handled by Oilers management, then I'd say it makes perfect sense that this team is dead last every year. I don't think they have a clue what they're doing. 

 

Well...

 

Bob Nicholson knows what he's doing.

Peter Chiarelli knows what he's doing.

 

The real culprits:

Kevin Lowe - has been removed from the public face of Oilers management, and largely operates on the business side of things. The problem is that he's made reference to his input into the day-to-day. How much? I don't know, but I bet he's not that willing to just sit in the background.

Craig MacTavish - he's not a moron (they don't just hand out masters degrees) but his decisions on the pro side have been pretty bad. For awhile there, this season, there was $12M of his signings in the press box or minors. He can identify forwards (Benoit Pouliot was a good signing), but every one of his decisions on the blueline didn't work out, and he owns the Dallas Eakins hire 100%.

Scott Howson - the head of pro scouting. Hasn't worked out one little bit.

 

My guess? Nicholson and Chiarelli aren't done, and though I'm sure they can't just make the owner fire his best buds, they can try to minimize their impact on the team. I'll wager that Scott Howson loses his job at some point in the next season or two.

 

Either way, the optics of MacTavish showing up in Finland to scout a kid who's in Sweden are bad. Every team makes mistakes, but when you've been in the basement since 2010, those mistakes become amplified, and rightfully so.

 

[J0e Th0rnton]

13 hours ago, JR Ewing said:

 

Well...

 

Bob Nicholson knows what he's doing.

Peter Chiarelli knows what he's doing.

 

The real culprits:

Kevin Lowe - has been removed from the public face of Oilers management, and largely operates on the business side of things. The problem is that he's made reference to his input into the day-to-day. How much? I don't know, but I bet he's not that willing to just sit in the background.

Craig MacTavish - he's not a moron (they don't just hand out masters degrees) but his decisions on the pro side have been pretty bad. For awhile there, this season, there was $12M of his signings in the press box or minors. He can identify forwards (Benoit Pouliot was a good signing), but every one of his decisions on the blueline didn't work out, and he owns the Dallas Eakins hire 100%.

Scott Howson - the head of pro scouting. Hasn't worked out one little bit.

 

My guess? Nicholson and Chiarelli aren't done, and though I'm sure they can't just make the owner fire his best buds, they can try to minimize their impact on the team. I'll wager that Scott Howson loses his job at some point in the next season or two.

 

Either way, the optics of MacTavish showing up in Finland to scout a kid who's in Sweden are bad. Every team makes mistakes, but when you've been in the basement since 2010, those mistakes become amplified, and rightfully so.

 

You can have a masters degree and still not have an iota of common sense.

 

I know plenty of dingbats like that. Book smart is not street smart.

 

Hopefully Chia can marginalize Lowe to the degree that it does not matter.

 

Howson had some success drafting for the Jackets in the later rounds(And a few first round gems). Not immediate success obviously, but in the years he was drafting, he snagged Voracek, Atkinson, Calvert, Johansen, Jenner, Savard, Korpisalo(TBD), Murray

 

but this situation is hilarious. MacT you bonehead hahaha

[WordsOfWisdom]

4 hours ago, J0e Th0rnton said:

 

but this situation is hilarious. MacT you bonehead hahaha

 

He never wore a helmet as a player, but maybe he ought to be wearing a helmet now..... everywhere.  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

CANADIAN MEDIA (via satellite): "So...Mr. MacTavish....what do you think of Laine as a player and how are you enjoying your trip to Sweden?"

 

MACTAVISH: " You mean, Finland. How am I liking my trip to Finland right?"

 

MEDIA: " But, Laine is in Sweden....isn't he?"

 

MACTAVISH (rolling his eyes): "Sweden, Finland.....look, its close enough. It's all Scandinavian. Next question..."

 

MEDIA: "So when will you actually get to see Laine play?"

 

MACTAVISH: "As soon as we are done with this native dish of Swedish meatballs"

 

MEDIA: "........."  "But sir, you are in Finland....."

 

MACTAVISH: "Again with the nitpicking! Look we will just watch THIS available game here in Swe-, err, Finland. I am sure we can scout a player that is just like Patrik Laine"

 

MEDIA: "Ummm...thank you, Mr. Mactavish...enjoy your stay"

 

MACTAVISH: "Yes, you are welcome" (under his breath:...."Friggin Norwegian reporters.....")

[WordsOfWisdom]

3 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

MACTAVISH (rolling his eyes): "Sweden, Finland.....look, its close enough. It's all Scandinavian. Next question..."

 

 

LOL. 

 

 

[OccamsRazor]

On 2/10/2016 at 2:04 PM, Podein25 said:

Unbelievable. 

 

 

 

 

Had to use it again...why not.

[Podein25]

@OccamsRazor

That was a doozy presser he did. He all but named players. The most interesting thing to me were his comments on shift length.

 

Kelly Hrudey's intermission blast on Eberle was also devastating. Basically, publicly humiliating Eberle for being lazy on the back check (goal), but having lots of gas in the tank when there's a chance for a breakaway or 2-on-1.

[JR Ewing]

36 minutes ago, Podein25 said:

@OccamsRazor

That was a doozy presser he did. He all but named players. The most interesting thing to me were his comments on shift length.

 

Kelly Hrudey's intermission blast on Eberle was also devastating. Basically, publicly humiliating Eberle for being lazy on the back check (goal), but having lots of gas in the tank when there's a chance for a breakaway or 2-on-1.

 

I was infuriated, watching Eberle completely give up on the backcheck on that goal. He was right there with and simply stopped skating. There's no excuse for that. I don't ask that every one of my team's forwards are Selke calibre players, but that kind of effort just doesn't belong in the NHL.

 

[Podein25]

2 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

I was infuriated, watching Eberle completely give up on the backcheck on that goal. He was right there with and simply stopped skating. There's no excuse for that. I don't ask that every one of my team's forwards are Selke calibre players, but that kind of effort just doesn't belong in the NHL.

 

Yeah I'd be too. It's a pretty embarrassing clip for Eberle. And, like Hrudey said, he's a 6 year pro. Time to grow up.

[flyercanuck]

2 hours ago, JR Ewing said:

 

I was infuriated, watching Eberle completely give up on the backcheck on that goal. He was right there with and simply stopped skating. There's no excuse for that. I don't ask that every one of my team's forwards are Selke calibre players, but that kind of effort just doesn't belong in the NHL.

 

 

There's something wrong with that group of forwards...maybe it's the long term contracts...I don't know.

 

 They'll likely be getting yet another great forward (they're going to have to start putting top 6 forwards on their 4th line). Time to trade Eberle and/or Yakupov and/or Hall for some D help?

[JR Ewing]

1 minute ago, flyercanuck said:

 

There's something wrong with that group of forwards...maybe it's the long term contracts...I don't know.

 

 They'll likely be getting yet another great forward (they're going to have to start putting top 6 forwards on their 4th line). Time to trade Eberle and/or Yakupov and/or Hall for some D help?

 

Yakupov: he requested a trade, and from what he has said, there was a deadline deal, but it just didn't happen. Here's one most outside the fanbase may not know: of everybody in management and scouting, only 1 person wanted to draft Nail Yakupov, with the others all wanting Ryan Murray. The Oilers didn't even interview him leading up to the draft. That's how little they were interested in him. Just a couple of hours before the draft, the owner called a meeting and told them they would be drafting Yakupov and that was that. The next thing you know, the hockey men have a player they neither want nor planned for, and they obviously never adapted to it very well.

 

So, when he makes the mistakes that teenagers make, he's benched or put on the 4th line while the Boy Band (whom management DID want) can make those mistakes without punishment. And then all sit back and wonder why Yakupov didn't develop, when nobody that plays with Matt Hendricks, Lennart Petrell or Boyd Gordon has been famous for scoring a lot. Yak is a very imperfect player, but he continually has gotten the stick while the others got the carrot.

 

Anyway. SOMEBODY is going, that's for sure. Improving the defense and keeping all of the kids doesn't happen.

 

[flyercanuck]

I heard they voted 2-7 for Yak...and the rest Murray. Also heard about the trade request/deal that fell through. 

 

I'm not blaming HIM for that mess....I'm blaming the whole lot. It's obviously not the coaching. And I know they need D. But come on, that much talent has to work on being that bad.