Soakin’ in the Tubb: What’s going on with the NHL in Alberta?

By JAMES TUBB on January 8, 2022.

Does it get any worse than cheering for either one of Alberta’s NHL teams right now?

On one side, the Edmonton Oilers have two of the best players in the National Hockey League but are not well constructed, and are even still, vastly under performing.

On the other, the Calgary Flames are off to a decent start and have bounced back from last year’s disappointing season while also being absolutely ravaged by COVID-19, but have had ownership turn its back on the fans by cancelling a new arena deal over an apparent $9.7 million.

The Oilers have also been bit by the injury bug with a combo platter of Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Josh Archibald and Kris Russell all on the injured reserve. They’ve also been without Oscar Klefbom since the 2019-20 season.

Choosing who to cheer for has quickly become the lesser of two evils. Unless you’re a die-hard fan, the best option might be the rising Vancouver Canucks who have flourished from the ashes on the back of Bruce Boudreau.

The success story that certainly can’t end in failure for the Canucks has sparked debate in Edmonton that head coach Dave Tippett should be released of his duties and the Oil should bring in noted hard-ass coach, Mike Babcock.

A change of guard behind the bench either signals a coach’s loss of authority (see Vancouver) or one of a few final moves a failing general manager has left (also see Canucks).

Oilers GM Ken Holland took a team blessed with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and decided to surrounded them with superstars like Cody Ceci, Tyson Barrie, Kyle Turris and Duncan Keith? He also gave a 39-year-old Mike Smith a two-year contract to split duties with Mikko Koskinen, who had a .899 save percentage last season. To be fair to Holland, if he deserves that, he inherited Koskinen but couldn’t find a way to move on from him obviously.

How he has gotten away with failing to build around the once-in-a-lifetime player that is McDavid, but continues to throw money and assets on mid-level talent like the 38-year-old Keith, or the one-dimensional Barrie.

I feel for Oilers fans, I do. As an Ontario guy, I’m glad to see Zach Hyman as one of the only success stories for another historic franchise. But beyond that? It hurts to see two promising stars held back by an under-performing GM who has almost refused to make his team better. I can understand the mindset of bringing in a veteran like Keith to play on the back end, but why not bring in one who is both good and not a low-key bad person off the ice?

Hard to believe he’s such a great teammate with how often he’s put himself first when it came to the NHL’s vaccine mandate and the Kyle Beach scandal. But hey, he’s won before so that HAS to mean he’s the bestest teammate ever, and hockey men saying he is a great leader certainly can’t be wrong.

It will be interesting to see if Holland adds to his team down the stretch, especially in net, before the Oilers potentially make it to the playoffs. They’ve been tied to Marc-Andre Fleury, who it seems they could have had before the season for literally one prospect. If he makes no moves, don’t be surprised if a red circle on July 1, 2026 appears on a calendar in McDavid’s all black household.

That would be a day of celebration in Calgary, too bad even in 2026 it might still be outside the Saddledome. I can only imagine what it feels like cheering for a team that rewards you with success off the ice but won’t help present that on-ice product in a better way.

Calgary Sports and Entertainment is a wanna-be Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment that has shown it is no where close to the same organization. How embarrassing is it for an ownership group to basically take their ball and go home over what is reported to be a pittance of the total $634 million being split between the club and city.

Flames ownership had no issue signing off on giving James Neal a five-year, $28.7 million deal to score seven goals and contribute nothing come playoff time in one season before he was traded.

Again, how embarrassing.

Hopefully Calgary’s ownership group can come to its senses sooner than later, since moves like this sour the relationship with a fan base that cares about the team and pays big money to watch hockey in one of the oldest NHL arenas with literally no character.

If not, Flames and Oilers fans may actually be able to come together for once and bond over their disdain for their franchise’s upper management. Wouldn’t that be a sight to see.