BE-LEAF-ABLE

Does anyone else think that the team is underachieving, or is it just me?

I knew they wouldn't be as good as last year (which is much better than the 8th place finish the team showed IMO), but I didn't expect them to be back to the team that's once again having to rally yet again fo a late playoff birth.

Agree? Disagree?

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"It's not the way it's going to be. We have to be very, very patient and build this the right way. We have to go through a process. It may be painful. I hope it isn't. But we're prepared for all the bumps and pratfalls and potholes in the road ahead. I'm prepared for it anyway, or I wouldn't have come." - Ron Wilson, Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Canuck

I think they should be doing a lot better than they are because of all their experience. And a team should not go to game 7 of a Stanley cup final one year and the next year they are fighting just to get a playoffs spot. But then again they have lost a lot of talent and aren't that stacked of a team

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datsyukdangler1

^^^ I agree with Canuck. If you go from playing in a game 7 in the stanley cup finals to struggling for a playoff spot, then there is need for improvement. But, they did lose a lot of talent for sure.

BE-LEAF-ABLE

True, they had a chunk ripped out of them.

As soon as the question was asked "what's wrong with the Edmonton Oilers", immediately everyone in the room (who heard the question) said 'Chris Pronger' (me included).

This team isn't playing as well as they should, but maybe they're not much better to begin with.

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"It's not the way it's going to be. We have to be very, very patient and build this the right way. We have to go through a process. It may be painful. I hope it isn't. But we're prepared for all the bumps and pratfalls and potholes in the road ahead. I'm prepared for it anyway, or I wouldn't have come." - Ron Wilson, Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

shookem

I have never liked Roloson. I think last year was a total fluke and until guys like Hemsky and Pisani are ready to be top-tier, go-to-guys, the team is going to be stuck behind everyone else in the division.

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Rids

On the other hand Carolina didn't make too many changes and they are in the same boat. Couple of points either way and they might miss the playoffs as defending Stanley Cup champs.

Yes Edmonton is underachieving, they underachieved last year too. They lose way too many 1 goal games and have trouble if they get behind by more than 2 in the first. Roli the Goalie hasn't been a #1 for an entire season before and I believe he's getting tired but Jussi in goal is a crapshot at the best of times. Too many problems to fix with deadline trades. They need to start working on these things now (or three months, five months, six months ago...)

Quintessence

Well seeing how I picked them to be at the very bottom of the division this year, they're right where I expect them to be. Their defence is not as good as last year with Spacek and Pronger gone and Bergeron underachieving (probably because of Pronger and Spacek being gone). I'm not placing any blame on Rollie the Goalie. He's just not getting the support he was getting last year.

BE-LEAF-ABLE

I don't blame him either. Roloson is probably going through the same thing Raycroft was before the last month. There's pretty much no team in front of him, yet the media is starting to turn up the heat on him even though it's pretty clear game in and game out. I guess it makes for a good story.

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"It's not the way it's going to be. We have to be very, very patient and build this the right way. We have to go through a process. It may be painful. I hope it isn't. But we're prepared for all the bumps and pratfalls and potholes in the road ahead. I'm prepared for it anyway, or I wouldn't have come." - Ron Wilson, Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sabres Fan

I think that Edmonton is "sturdy" to tell but I think when the playoffs come and they are in strong contention then yes, but for know I think it is to hard to tell

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Quintessence

Right now every game for the Oilers is like a playoff game. If they don't start winning consistently now then they won't even be in contention when playoff time comes.