Fans once again prove they have no idea how to run the Oilers

Every once in a while the media gets lazy and asks for fan input on something, and in the case of the writers at the Edmonton Journal, they usually do this at the trade deadline.

It literally never fails. Every year fans post the most embarrassing takes on the trade deadline the Oilers have - and the takes seem to get sillier and more embarrassing every year.

Here's the latest piece of bird droppings from this past trade deadline from delusional fans who THINK they know what they're talking about. Let's go through some of the worst possible takes on here.

"Oilers fan Ryan Smyth’s Mullet @SmythsMullet It’s over"

So at this point with 20% of the regular season to go, not even a single playoff game played yet and you're already counting your team out? Wow, what a loyal piece of human garbage you are......yikes. They play the games for a reason, genius, it's not over until one team has won four games in a playoff series. Counting a team out before they even play a single playoff game is monumentally stupid unless it's an obvious mismatch - and even then, it's never a sure thing. Remember last season when the Seattle Kraken, a team hardly a powerhouse in the making and literally making their first appearance in the playoffs ever, defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round? How many of you saw that coming?

I've got news for whoever the tool is that runs this X account - playoff series are won on the ice, not on paper, and certainly not at the trade deadline. In the words of Gene Wilder, "YOU GET NOTHING! YOU LOSE! GOOD DAY, SIR!"

"Adhi @OilerAlert The teams that defeated the #LetsGoOilers in the playoffs the past 3 years all added significantly at the deadline: VGK – Mantha, Hanafin, Hertl, COL – Walker, Mittelstadt, Trenin, Duhaime (losing Byram and Johansen), WPG – Monahan, Toffoli, C. Miller"

This is an incredibly stupid take. First of all, just because a team makes a big splash at the deadline, doesn't mean they're going to win the Cup. As an Oilers fan, you should know this as the Oilers managed to grab two prized free agents of the day in Milan Lucic and Andrej Sekera, and yet how many Cups did these two get the Oilers? Oh right, none. AGAIN - I repeat this for emphasis because it's the only way to fight stupid - you don't win games on paper, you win them on the ice.

Second of all, this tweet is missing a TON of context. Let's start with Vegas - do you know WHY they went out and got Mantha, Hanifin, and Hertl? INJURIES. No other reason, just injuries. The GKs were missing two key scorers Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone. You could honestly throw in William Carrier too as a depth player MIA with injury. That's a lot of scoring missing from the roster - and the resulting LTIR is cap space they can use at the deadline to replace those players. Stephenson is only day to day, so no space is gained from him, but between Stone and Carrier, they had almost $11 million in LTIR they could use. What GM wouldn't take advantage of that?

How many key injuries were the Oilers experiencing by the deadline? Go ahead, I'll let you google it. But....if you guessed 0, you were right. So, why upset a winning roster and why try to spend cap space you don't have? If you said there's no need, you're right. If you're gullible enough to believe the snake oil take of Mr. Adhi here, then I've got a solar-powered flashlight I'll sell you the patent to for a lot of $$.

And why Hanifin? I'll tell you why - because Alec Martinez is 36 years old, his contract is up, and it's unlikely he'll be coming back because he's been struggling as a player for the last three seasons. Combine this with the pure dumb luck of Hanifin wanting off a Flames team spinning their wheels and likely going nowhere except to a forced rebuild, and the Knights pulled the trigger.

I challenge you to find the 36-year-old blueliner on the Oilers who is underachieving and needs to be replaced. Go ahead, I dare you, I'll wait......oh, you can't find him? That's because he doesn't exist - it's not a problem the Oilers have. So again, why expend assets and cap space we don't have to acquire we don't need? That solar-powered flashlight patent is still for sale is you're stupid enough to believe that.

And you know what's really funny about that whole situation? Hanifin and Mantha are on the shelf with injuries anyway, so those two acquisitions at least in the short term are complete and total duds - not to mention that Hertl's contract is crazy because he'll be 36 by the time it ends and his $6.75 million cap hit is there from beginning to end, so if he craps out at 34 too bad the contract becomes a boat anchor for Vegas.

So much for loading up at the deadline....I'll take the Oilers deadline anyday over Vegas's.

Third - and most importantly - the Oilers have been one of the NHL's best teams in the 2024 calendar year. Combined with their excellent health, this means the Oilers came into the deadline high atop the mountain and as such didn't have the need to upset their roster or make a splashy trade. When you're starting at the top, there's no need to make a splash.

Now let's look at Colorado

You're seeing a similar pattern of injuries with the Avs. Gabriel Landeskog has been out all season, and naturally his $7 million per contract was moved to LTIR, hence both cap space and a roster spot freed up for MIttlestadt - not to mention they actually traded away a really good d-man in Byron Bowen for Mittlestadt. That would be like the Oilers trading away Evan Bouchard in exchange for a second-line center. How many of you would make that trade if you didn't have to? Wait, let me count the hands, oh right, 0. Walker is a guy playing up the depth chart for the first time in his career, and how that'll go is anyone's guess. Trenin and Duhaime are nothing more than depth pieces, which the Oilers acquired at the deadline as well. Johansen is no big loss as it was well-known he was struggling.

As for Winnipeg, it was well known that they were having trouble scoring goals this season, hence the acquisitions of Toffoli and Monahan.

Did the Oilers have the same problem? Considering the fact that they finished fourth in the league in GF, I'm going to say no. So why bust your hump and expend assets with cap space you don't have for either of those players? See the problem there? I do.

Making a big splash at the deadline isn't a guarantee of anything. The deadline is all about addressing needs and the Oilers did that just fine. They didn't have to make a big trade because they didn't have to.

By the way, wanna know where the Jets finished the season in GF? 15th. 15th in GF.

"Hockey fan Soups on Hockey @tjsoups Most important deadline in Oilers franchise history and Oilers fans are forced to watch their GM stumble and fumble his way into retirement. Literally didn’t acquire a perfect piece for their needs up front to pay more for a piece he DIDN’T need up front."

There's a lot of stupidity in this tweet, so let's go through it one by one. First of all, since when was this deadline the "most important in Oilers history?" What's the basis for that? Drama queen much? Considering the Oilers had one of the most impressive dynasties in NHL history in the 80s, I'm guessing that numbnuts here didn't actually do any research prior to making this statement.

Second of all, since when is Ken Holland retiring? He hasn't confirmed anything nor have any anonymous sources connected to the Oilers. At this point, I don't think even he knows yet whether he's retiring or not. Talk about making yourself look stupid by jumping the gun.

Third of all, how exactly has Ken Holland "stumbled and fumbled?" The Oilers have made the playoffs every year he's been GM. He's now assembled a roster that boasts one of the most lethal top-six forward groups in the league including the two best players in the league. His bottom-six forward group includes a great mix of defensively responsible penalty killers, speed, scoring touch, faceoff wins, physical play, and pestilence. The defensive corps has a top-four grouping that boasts two great puck movers and two great stay-at-home guys who both have the ability to produce secondary offence, thus an offensive threat is always on the ice no matter which pairing is playing D. The bottom pairing boasts the huge, physical, and defensive Vincent Desharnais with the defensively aware Brett Kulak and Philip Broberg waiting in the wings. Oh, and if that weren't enough the Oilers also have Troy Stetcher too. The goaltending is absolutely top-notch, even on the farm team. In other words, Holland has built this team into one that is a cup contender, and he's done it while working within the confines of the NHL's salary cap. Not to mention drafting and developing is the best this franchise has ever seen, and that's in large part thanks to Holland.

What more do you want from your GM than that?

I could call out more tweets but this blog is long enough as it is, and besides which you get the idea. To end this portion of things I'm going to post one more tweet that sums up these idiotic fans quite well:

"Oilers fan RG3 @rascalgasIf you’re having an aneurism over a sports team’s trade activity, it might be time to find another hobby."

I couldn't agree more @rascalgas, I couldn't agree more.