In Edmonton, HOPE is a four letter word. Joonas Donskoi Jersey . Yet, one more time, Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish faced the media to explain the direction of his team, or in the eyes of many, lack of direction. MacTavish stood in there. Like a pi?ata at a 10-year-olds birthday party, he took the blows , but he didnt back down, swinging back when lumped in with those accused of bad decision-making in the past. I’ve been on the job for 18 months, so you want to lop me in, but I had nothing to do with management, so don’t lop me into a situation of power and influence in the management level of this organization, I’ve been on the job for 20 months,” MacTavish fired back. MacTavish, Kevin Lowe and Bob Nicholson gathered yesterday along with a group of Edmonton’s management types to dissect the carcass of an Oilers team whose playoff dreams are virtually dead a mere 26 games into the regular season. This meeting, one of many of late, lasted a few hours and covered every scenario this brain trust could muster to improve the team, both now and in the future. Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins wasnt invited because his job was on the line and while the specifics arent clear, there is a strong sense MacTavish continued to defend his coach and convinced those above that coaching is not the issue. MacTavish leaves the bullet in the chamber, for now, but hes also left us to wonder how he intends on filling the massive holes in his roster after implying in his media availability his core three forwards - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle - are not for sale. Loyalty is one of MacTavishs strongest attributes; it may also be a fatal flaw. The Oilers dont have a recognized top defence pair. They lack a legitimate No. 1 goaltender and No. 2 centre. Collectively, these shortfalls are the primary reasons for this teams ongoing struggles. Acquiring the players to fill these holes in season is a tough task; excluding Hall or Eberle as trade bait makes it next to impossible. If the untouchable label has been placed on the fortunate few, thats going to change in the off-season when teams have more flexibility to make bigger and more meaningful deals. Its unlikely RNH will become a target given his play and value as a top-line centre. But Hall, Eberle, Nail Yakupov, Justin Schultz, and David Perron will be high on any list of players in play at the Draft when they shift from being Oilers to assets. In the meantime, more executive meetings in Edmonton with Pro and Amateur scouting changes are expected as this team sharpens its focus on a top-heavy Draft they would rather not to have to depend on. In other news... Hockey Newfoundland (HockeyNL) may have to wait at least another year before an age change proposal for minor hockey across Canada is put to vote. Hockey Canadas annual meeting will wrap up Saturday in Ottawa and its believed the much anticipated vote to adjust the ages for levels between atom and midget will be tabled for at least another year for further study. HockeyNL proposed an age change that would see all levels from Atom to Midget shift by one year. For example, a player in his second year of Bantam this season would play a third year of Bantam next season to realign the age brackets to where they were prior to change in 2001. HockeyNL reportedly says it is seeing a significant number of 15-year-olds dropping out in the current system which is jeopardizing its Midget programs. (HockeyNL proposal) Atom: current age 9-10 would change to 10-11. Pee Wee: current age 11-12 would change to 12-13. Bantam: current age 13-14 would change to 14-15. Midget: current age 15-17 would change to 16-17. While this proposal has been on the table for months, few outside of federation offices and governing minor hockey associations knew the details of exactly what was to be voted on in Ottawa on Saturday. Hopefully, by opting for further study, local associations as well as parents can get up to speed on the particulars of the plan and potential impact on their teams. TSN will be in sunny Boca Raton, Florida next week for the NHLs Board of Governors meetings. Tune in for Insider Trading on Tuesday on Sportscentre and TSN.ca. Ryan Carpenter Jersey . The 19-year-old Swiss centre back will initially have to impress in Uniteds reserve side to earn a spot in the first team. Veseli says "Manchester United has a long history of younger players coming through and hopefully I can follow and do the same. Barclay Goodrow Jersey . First reported by FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal, its unknown if the impetus for the deferral proposal came from players or management, but it never left the preliminary stages. http://www.officialsharksnhlshop.com/jannik-hansen-jersey/ . The Toronto Argonauts signed the veteran linebacker to a three-year deal Tuesday, hours after the start of CFL free agency.Whered they play? Richfield ColiseumWhen they were active? 1976-78Playoff appearances: 0Stanley Cup Victories: 0Teams overall record: 160 GP – 47 W- 87 L - 26 T (.375 winning percentage)Most goals: Dennis Maruk 64Most assists: Dennis Maruk 85Most points: Dennis Maruk 149Notable players: Dennis Maruk (1976-68), Al MacAdam (1976-68), Dave Gardner (1976-68), Greg Smith, (1976-68), Wayne Merrick (1976-68), Rick Hampton, (1976-68), Gilles Meloche (1976-68).Best Jersey: The jerseys they wore werent much different over two years aside from minor alterations. With that said, their jerseys were pretty solid.(Image via NHL Uniforms)Best goalie masks: Gilles Meloche(Image via ProHockeyFR)(Image via Classic Auctions)Best flow: Wayne Merricks beauty hairdo.(Image via Off Centred)Video that best sums up their existence: Watch the Barons get thrashed 8-1 by the Montreal Canadiens.Best fight: Rick Hampton dropping the gloves with Dave Forbes.Heres another one.The announcement of the teams impending move: The NHL announced that the team would be merging with the Minnesota North Stars.(Image via The Puck Drops Here)Whyd the move? What led to the merger was the team had extremely poor attendance, worse than it was in the teams previous incarnation the California Golden Seals. Joe Thornton Jersey. The team also had a bad lease deal and had trouble paying players. The Barons had to get a last-minute $1.3 million dollar loan from the NHLPA. Cleveland started its final season with an attendance spike, but ultimately a 15-game losing stream killed the teams playoff and survival chances.What happened to the team after it moved? This merger between the North Stars and Barons fell apart as just over a decade later co-owners George and Gordon Gund were awarded half the team and moved it to San Jose, where the Sharks began. The teams AHL affiliate ironically enough was named.. you guessed it the Cleveland Barons.(Image via Wikipedia)Last game: The Barons lost their final game 3-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 9th, 1978. Co-Captains: Jim Neilson and Bob Stewart(Image via EBay)Previous #TBTsAtlanta ThrashersHartford WhalersCalifornia Golden SealsColorado Rockies Quebec NordiquesMinnesota North StarsAtlanta Flames(Stats and info via Hockeydb and Sports E-Cylcopedia) Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '