Edmonton Oilers: Kevin Lowe Needs to Be Held Accountable

Depending on whom you listen to, Kevin Lowe is either one sharp General Manager, or the cause of what's wrong with the NHL (just ask Brian Burke).

Opinions aside, if one is to look at Lowe's performance since taking the helm of the Edmonton Oilers, you have to wonder how he has managed to retain his job for so long.  With that said, in Part One of this series, we will take a look at four of the top ten bloopers Oiler fans have suffered through thanks to the "Lowe Effect."

Blooper One

It would be hard to argue that Brian Burke didn't complety rape the Oilers in his deal for Chris Pronger.

At the time, Pronger was a Conn Smythe candidate, and still is one of the elite players in the NHL—who you would think would garner in return another elite player of at least near caliber. 

Not in Edmonton, where we once traded Wayne Gretzky for a bag of pucks. 

Instead, the Ducks sent Lupul and Smid to the Oilers in exchange and a couple draft picks to the Oilers in exchange for Pronger.  Lupul of course was shipped out of town at the end of his first season to Philly, and Smid was sent down to the minors for the first part of the season. 

This deal alone should have been enough to close the door on his tenure of GM for the team.  

Can you imagine someone calling Burke and offering the same package for Pronger now? 

Blooper Two

Ryan Smyth was the heart, soul, and face of the Edmonton Oilers.

An Alberta boy, who lost his front teeth during the playoff run to the cup—only to return to the ice 20 minutes later, had done everything a player could be asked of for his team. 

Lowe, in all his wisdom, elected to leave negotiations to the last minute and when a deal couldn't be reached, was forced to ship him out of town to the Islanders over $600,000. 

Granted, the Oilers did get some strong young talent in return—but when your marquee player is shown the door over pocket change, how anxious do you think other stars are going to be to come to Edmonton and build a life here, considering the complete lack of loyalty shown by Oiler management to their aging stars? 

Was Stevie Y. shown the door when his production started to dwindle, is Mike Modano trade bait - is Bordeur mentioned in trader rumours ?   

Blooper Three

Lowe's refusal to make a change in his coaching staff has lead the Oilers to another losing season where, unless a miracle happens, they won't make the playoffs yet again. 

Craig MacTavish has a career record of 223 wins and 202 losses going into the '07-'08 season, and will most likely finish below .500 for the year.  His refusal to allow players to build line chemistry, and a history of blackballing players, like the talented Rob Schremp, are only part of the problem.  MacTavish is a defense first coach, yet works with a GM that has attempted to build a team for speed and offense—a frustrating contradiction that has resulted in a team that never reaches its potential.  

Blooper Four

Although only time will tell, the Dustin Penner restricted free agent signing could easily go down in NHL history as the worst move by a general manager. 

It's not that Penner was a bad acquisition, it's that it cost the Oilers their top three picks in the 2008 draft—one that is touted as one of the most significant drafts in league history. 

With the Oilers struggling in the bottom of the standings, the Ducks are likely to get a top five pick, and with the lottery system in play, will have a one in five chance of getting the number one pick at this years selection, and can pick no worse then fifth. 

Any one of the top five players coming out of this season's draft could easily be the next Joe Sakic or Mark Messier. 

Part Two Available Here

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11545-NHL-Edmonton_Oilers-Kevin_Lowe_Needs_to_be_Held_Accountable_-_Part_Two