How can you not love Brian Burke?

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Asher
Any comments on Kevin Lowe getting a 4 year contract extension?

I'm happy about it. I think Lowe is a good GM.

Why does the Oilers ownership group reward chronic stupidity?

Are the Oilers the next 'Leafs?

40 years from now they'll still be talkin' bout the 80s, just like the Leafs talk about the original six days.

I'll reply constructively to any reasonable comment or question.

Questions 2 and 3 and the rest is tripe.

I'd rather eat glass than bite the hook.

[Asher]

Lowe is a good GM? That has a lot of explaining to go with it...

It's like saying Bush is a good president, or Hitler was a good human being. Please elaborate.

[notyoueither]

Godwin in a sports thread?

You're unique, Asher.

[Ninot]

NYE is right. Lowe to Hitler? wow.

[Asher]

It's an easy trail.

Lowe -> Bush -> Hitler.

I've never seen anyone say within a year Lowe was a good GM. The Oilers blogs I've read are all upset that Lowe got an extension. I'm curious which koolaid nye is drinking, and his reasoning.

[Asher]

http://coveredinoil.blogspot.com/2007/10/high-expectations-lowe-results.html

High expectations, Lowe results

"When the playoffs ended, in our humble estimation, he [Chris Pronger] could arguably be the best player in the National Hockey League," Lowe said.
"We aren't going to knee-jerk this," he said. "Perhaps the longer I wait, things might change." — USA Today, June 26, 2006


"We spent a lot of time at this. Our inability to attract guys. What is it? The city? Me? What's the statement?"
...

The way it's all worked out, with the $50.3 million salary cap, $43 million budget and not being able to land a free agent, Lowe probably should have given Ryan Smyth what he wanted at the trade deadline.

"If I had known ..." — Edmonton Sun, July 5, 2007


"What happened was, all of a sudden, we got a lot of defencemen. We traded for Grebeshkov. We signed (Dick) Tarnstrom. We traded for Pitkanen. We signed (Sheldon) Souray. Then, I'm thinking, 'Holy mackerel, we've got a lot of guys here,' " said Lowe. — Edmonton Journal, Oct. 4, 2007

Today, the EIG announced that they have signed GM Kevin Lowe to a four-year contract extension, a move that seems to have nothing to do with rewarding results and everything to do with optics. With Brian Burke making waves by trashing our main man in the press and public opinion turning as more and more fans realize there may not actually be a method to Lowe's madness, this extension appears to be little more than a desperate circling of the wagons by a franchise that needs to save some face both in the local and NHL communities.

Needless to say, I don't like it.

Yes, under Lowe, the club has made a huge leap forward in terms of scouting and the draft, and certainly the man has made some beauty trades. But Lowe has also iced a team with obvious, glaring holes in the roster for three straight seasons now, and, as the above quotes attest, seems to have serious issues when it comes to formulating a plan and sticking with it.

I mean, really: either the man is employing some seriously Columbo-esque misdirection here or he is exactly as bewildered as he sounds. I don't hate Sheldon Souray as much as some fans, but there was absolutely no reason for the Oilers to sign him — not for that price, not for that length — except to atone for the fact that Lowe had bombed out in free agency early on and to silence the escalating din surrounding Darryl Katz's attempts to buy the team. That's just the most recent of the Oilogosphere's many gripes. If you're reading this blog, I assume you know the rest.

I should clarify that, really, I'm not anti-Lowe. I don't think he should be fired. But why re-sign him now, at the beginning of the season, instead of waiting until April? With Smyth traded for Nilsson, the other Smith traded for Pitkanen and Penner and Souray brought on board for a king's ransom each, the last six months have seen Lowe make some of his most high-risk moves to date — why not wait until the end of the season so this year's results can be taken into account during his evaluation? It simply makes no sense.

Unless, of course, results really don't factor into your decision. Not even the EIG's Cal Nichols seemed able to offer a reasonable justification for the reup during the press conference today:

"This franchise is measured upon the quality of the key management people and the quality of our hockey players. Therefore this is a very important announcement for our franchise," Cal Nichols, Chairman of the Edmonton Investors Group said in a statement. "The Edmonton Investors Group also acknowledges his stature as a pillar in the community, which brings even more value to this team, this city, and the greater Edmonton community. Edmonton should feel fortunate to have him as our General Manager, and we are thrilled to be able to make this announcement today."

Nothing about vision. Not a word about commitment to winning. Lowe is simply a good company man who makes the ownership money and reminds Oilers fans of glory days long past, so Edmonton should feel lucky to have him.

What has happened to this franchise?

[Asher]

More fun.

[notyoueither]

lol at the Oiple leaf. That's pretty well done.

[notyoueither]

As for the content...

Just as many fans were overly optimistic last summer after a remarkable showing in the playoffs, some are overly pessimistic this summer after the collapse in the last 20 games last year.

There's a lot of criticism of the owners, the management, and the coaches. There's a lot of discussion of the players; who's a keeper, what their roles should be and who should be moved on... and there should be. Some questioning is healthy. That doesn't mean I have to agree with all of it though.

As for signing Lowe to a new deal now instead of later, that's a judgement call on the part of the owners. From what I've heard, the owners wanted to sign him after the season, but got distracted by other events (the Katz offers). They preferred not to have a lame duck GM and that's a totally rational decision to make. It's not like he has a NMC on a NHLPA guaranteed contract.

[Asher]

The lame duck argument doesn't make sense. He's shown he can screw up all he wants and have a cushy job. Most players (and GMs) tend to try harder in the "contract year" to try to earn a new contract. Lowe made a TON of risks in the offseason, and before we even find out if they pan out, he's got 4 more years.

It should be clear in Edmonton that as long as tickets are being sold, the clique will remain in tact -- winning be damned.

[notyoueither]

You'd have a better argument on that score were it not for 15 playoff wins 2 years ago.

Of course winning factors into. I believe you are making a mistake basing your argument on a blogger who does a poor job of trying to make a point. Here's a hint, go listen to the press conference and report back to us if winning is not mentioned.

[Asher]

Originally posted by notyoueither
You'd have a better argument on that score were it not for 15 playoff wins 2 years ago.

Why does it matter what he did 2 years ago, when he is the laughing stock for the league today? Where he's burning bridges with other GMs?

I believe you are making a mistake basing your argument on a blogger who does a poor job of trying to make a point. Here's a hint, go listen to the press conference and report back to us if winning is not mentioned.

Link me to it, please. It's not just the one blogger, there's at least a dozen Oilers blogs I've looked at and not one of them is happy with the extension being granted.

You are the first to defend it, and in true Oilers fashion, it has to do with what has happened in the past rather than what's happening right now.

[Asher]

More Oil fan responses to the Lowe re-signing:

http://battleofalberta.blogspot.com/

Before this morning, I didn't believe whatsoever that there was any kind of wink-wink nudge-nudge to Brian Burke's ranting. Now? Sorry, but I can just see Cal Nichols reading the newspaper on Thursday morning, saying, "Run this team into the sewer? We'll see about that!" ...and then picking up the red phone to Lowe's office ("Multi-year it is!").

http://vhockey.blogspot.com/

I might as well start on the title. Lowe's extension comes as a complete surprise to me. It's out of left field for me because organizations typically at least put up a facade of due diligence. In this case, the bare minimum probably consists of a full 60+ games to find out if there was any method to the madness in that gong show offseason we just witnessed. A four year extension for this GM so quickly makes no sense to me, unless of course the Oilers are a little more concerned with marketable front men rather than effective decision making.

This comment from Laforge in particular is puzzling:

"We think this is part of our road to the next Stanley Cup. Kevin's a terrific leader, prepared to do what he needs to do. But he has a PLAN, you know. I've talked to a lot of Kevin's peers, and they don't have a plan. They read and react."

Now try to rectify that with this Lowe comment from LT's site:

"What happened was, all of a sudden, we got a lot of defencemen. We traded for Grebeshkov. We signed (Dick) Tarnstrom. We traded for Pitkanen. We signed (Sheldon) Souray. Then, I'm thinking, 'Holy mackerel, we've got a lot of guys here."

If I could say one thing about Lowe's offseason, it's that he didn't have a plan. Except maybe to giv'er.

http://lowetide.blogspot.com/

Love the town team. Today Kevin Lowe will receive a contract extension. I'm not going to argue with the extension, but the timing really casts a shadow over what the Oilers are trying to do here. Are they really interested in winning? Or is it more important to keep up appearances? I do believe that the EIG would have been better served by waiting out this season to see how things went and then deciding on the future in the spring based on results.

If results aren't driving this franchise, then what in Holy Hell is? That's the question, I think. Today's extension concerns me for lots of reasons, not the least of which is timing. This extension comes when Lowe is under fire from Brian Burke over the Penner offer sheet? Is that why they're doing it? Lord I hope not.

http://therealdealhockey.blogspot.com/

Unreal.

http://blackdoghatesskunks.blogspot.com/2007/10/critical-thought.html

I like Kevin Lowe. I think he has drafted well. Not great but pretty well. I think his track record before the recent fiascos is decent. I also believe that giving him a contract extension makes no sense. Riversq posted over at IOF the other day that the idea of waiting to see how this year plays out before deciding on Lowe drives him crazy. Apparently EIG decided not even to wait on that. Souray could go minus forty. Penner could score five goals. The kids who have everyone excited right now could all be buried in the minors by November. Doesn't matter. Based on '06, I guess, Lowe has gotten his reward.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Asher

Why does it matter what he did 2 years ago, when he is the laughing stock for the league today? Where he's burning bridges with other GMs?

I doubt Islanders fans are laughing. You may be, but that is opinion. You're entitled to it and we can predict what it will be. Everything about the Oilers, and Edmonton at large, are fair game for trolling.

*yawn*

Wake me up when you have something that will surprise me.

[Asher]

I've just simply asked you to explain why you support this extension three times now. You've done nothing at all except squirm and grumble about something that happened two years ago.

That says a lot to me.

The people in Edmonton who were around in the 80s don't have the heart to cut loose one of the people from that era when they're screwing with the team. Gretzky doesn't know to step down in Phoenix, and Lowe doesnt know to step down in Edmonton, and his fanboy ownership group doesn't know to not renew his contract. There's a supreme arrogance amongst the Oilers clique from the 80s that is to the detriment of the teams associated with them.