News Flash: The Avs Have Been Almost As Bad As The Oilers Since 2008

Bite your tongue the next time you go to bash the Edmonton Oilers. Stop yourself before you say the age old comment such as “4 1^st overall picks and they haven’t done anything in 10 years!” or “how can a team with that much talent suck so bad?”. Why do you have to watch what you say? Because you’re an Avs fan, and in the recent past, the last 8 years, the Avs and the Oilers are all too similar, having very close to the same amount of success, or lack thereof. *How is “thereof” a word but “alot” isn’t?

Other teams get the privilege of making fun of the Oilers. Other teams can laugh and joke and poke fun. Why? Because other teams have accomplished something. (Disclaimer: We are currently not counting the Maple Leafs as an NHL team because their current roster reads like an ECHL starting lineup).

“The Avs have TOO accomplished more than Oilers recently!” you yell at your computer screen as you read these words in disgust. “The Oilers haven’t made the playoffs in almost TEN years, with a team full of first round picks!” Sorry to burst your bubble dear reader, but upon our own realization of what you are about to experience, the only way to cope with the horror is to inflict it on others, and take solace in the fact that many more will feel just as bad as us!

“You sick sons of bitches!” you exclaim, wide eyed and innocent.

We know………we know. But here is proof that in the last 8 years, the Avs and Oilers are on the same level unsucess.

Let’s take a look at the facts. The Oilers: Playoff appearances since 2006: 0. 1^st overall picks since 2006: 4. Top 10 picks since 2006: 8. Seasons in which they have moderately competed at a level similar to that of an NHL team since 2006: 3. It’s bad. So bad.

We are going to keep this quick. The Band-Aid method if you will: In terms of draft picks, the Avs and Oilers have had a relatively similar track record: When the Oilers picked up Eberle (22^nd, 2008), Paajarvi (10^th, 2009), Hall (1^st, 2010), Nugent-Hopkins (1^st, 2011), Yakupov (1^st, 2012), Nurse (7^th, 2013), Draisaitl (3^rd, 2014), and McDavid (1^st, 2015), the Avs were building up as well:

Duchene (3^rd) O’Reilly (33^rd, 2008), Landeskog (2^nd) Seimens (11^th, 2011), MacKinnon (1^st, 2013), Rantanen (10^th, 2015).

It can be argued, with a high chance at winning, that Duchene, Landeskog, and MacKinnon are better than all of RNH, Hall, and Yakupov. O’Reilly is up there in competing with everyone other than McDavid. What does this all mean? It means the Avs have gotten better players at the draft; better pieces for immediate and long term success. On paper and in the standings, the Avs have been a better team the Oilers for a lot of seasons since 2006. But riddle us this: Which two teams in the West (Other than the new Jets) have not made the 2^nd round of the playoffs since the beginning of the 2008 season? Answer: The Stars, the Oilers, and the Avs. And boy are the Stars going to be good for a crazy long time.

The Avs have only won 5 more playoffs games than the Oilers in that time. The Avs have had better teams, better coaches, better management, better players, better draft choices, but when it all boils down to the cold hard facts, the Avs and the Oilers have had the same pathetic amount of actual success in 8 years.

We know what you’re going to say. “The Avs won the Central division title, the toughest division in hockey, just 2 years ago!” True. And that is a fair victory for the Avs in this argument.

“But the Avs have had way better regular seasons since then, regardless of playoff wins or appearances.” Have they? In the 5 years between 2008-13, the last years of the Northwest division, the Avs were ahead of the Oilers in the standings 3 times. Only 4 points ahead in 2011. Since realignments, the AVs won their division then came in 7^th last season, when the Oilers came in 6^th in theirs.

This was all done when the Oilers had terrible defence, a revolving door of goalies, and forward depth that couldn’t make the UHL all-star team. We never said the Avs were AS BAD as the Oilers in this time frame, but looking back, they are very close to the rock bottom pit the Oilers have called home the past 8 years. The worst part: The Oilers are going to be stupid good in the near future. That is certain. The Avs are guaranteed to be mediocre. They may be more than that, but nobody knows for sure.

So next time you want to blast the Oilers for sucking, or any team really, take a long hard look back at the failures and overall unsuccess of the Colorado Avalanche.

Seimens has been a bust for 11^th overall, and Bleakley/Hishon have been terrible mid 1^st round picks, so what does this all mean? 

Other Reading: *Disclaimer - This is strictly for the readers. We don't get ad click revenue or any kind of revenue, so we're not trying to shamelessy plug our articles!

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