Too Much Safe Play Leads to Predictability and Mediocrity

So we were all "educated" as to why Liam Reddox is a full time NHLer and why he's a favorite of the coach in the Journal yesterday. Color me unimpressed.

We have players on this team that are paid to protect leads (Moreau, Pisani, Horcoff, and Brodziak) yet we have to endure watching Liam Reddox because Craig MacTool doesn't feel that he has enough security blankets to keep him warm in the lineup.

Newsflash, if we actually looked to open it up and get 2 and 3 goal leads, we could let the players that I mentioned above do their job, while the others look to pile on the hurt on the scoreboard.

We play it safe when we have leads instead of going for the jugular. It's high time that this coach and this team started to smell blood in the water instead of assuming that it's Koolaid. The team continues to be held back by the restraints put in place by the coach. He wants everyone to play like Liam Reddox and his fellow grinder kin.

Unlike other teams that have incorporated a think defense first approach, the Oilers are poor on the PK (because they're too damned passive) and they are hardly a solid defensive team.

We have the horses to open the game up. Hemsky, Cole, Cogliano, Nilsson, Visnovsky, Horcoff if he ever remembers how to play well offensively again, Brule if he's up and a few others like Gagner, Schremp (these 2's passing ability would be much more beneficial than their actual "speed" ), Grebeshkov, Gilbert, and Smid.

It would be a more exciting style, and since we already have the speed and mobile defense in place, why not just go for it?

Oh yeah, because it's so much greater to have on so many seat belts that you can't even drive the freaking car.

But at least you're protected!