Alright, so there's been a lot of bandwagon jumping and people saying they're not renewing their season tickets and some "Fire Kevin Lowe!" and all that stuff, so I just have this to say:
1) If Smyth had become a UFA in the summer, you would have griped about how Lowe let him walk away for nothing. If he signs with the Oilers in the summer, Lowe will have grabbed two decent forward prospects and a first round draft choice for next to nothing. Genius move. If not, well, they've got the prospects, the draft choice, and about $5.5 million in cap space that they otherwise would not have had.
2) With the salary cap in place, it's going to be really rare to see players play out their entire careers with one team. We see this with the NFL all the time. Get used to it.
3) Name one trade that Lowe has made that has not worked out in the best interests of the Oilers. Anyone? (The panicky Chris Pronger trade doesn't count.) Name one prospect that Lowe has traded that went on to become a star with another team. Anyone got a name? There was bitching about how Lowe traded away "the future of the Oilers blueline" Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka for old-balls 31 year old defenceman Chris Pronger and we all know how that turned out...Stanley Cup Finals appearance. There was bitching about how Lowe gave up too much to get Dwayne Roloson and that turned out the same way...Stanley Cup Finals appearance. You complained about losing Mike York to get Mike Peca. Peca was awesome in the playoffs. What has York done recently?
4) Heart and soul of the team...isn't that what some of you dummies said about Georges Laraque?
5) YES, the Oilers have packed it in for this season. NO, they wouldn't have made the playoffs had they kept Smyth. NO, you can't expect the team to make the playoffs every year. If anything, the team should have traded more vets so they could rebuild properly...which every professional sports team has done at one point or another, and the Oilers will have to do it as well to get something better than 8th or 9th place finishes every season. This is called "putting things into perspective."
So basically to everyone STILL crying out there...you're wrong, and Kevin Lowe will prove you wrong.
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Wha? Where is the photo of Lowe with "Fired" written across his mug? This is not what I expected at all...not that I don't agree with you, except for that bit about the Pronger trade being made because of panic...Pronger was traded because Pronger wanted to be traded...which was still in the best interest of the Oil.
It's getting awful lonely here on the bandwagon, glad to see I have at least someone to drown my sorrows with. The article in the Journal today was just awful...17 game losing streak will be in the record books. Go Coilers!
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