from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

“The problem with evolution and maturity is it takes time,” the Oilers coach said before Saturday night’s meeting with the Vancouver Canucks. “You’d like to flip the switch but it doesn’t work that way.

“I think a lot of people in hockey and in Canada forget how young they are and I’m as guilty of it as anyone.”

Yeah, yeah. Patience. Process. Maturity. We’ve heard it all before. Wake me up when you’ve got something new to offer. Like a winning streak.

But here’s the thing about the Oilers, maybe the most interesting team in the Western Conference. As much as the clichés grate, as much as they sound empty, they are entirely applicable in this case. This team, which represents an impossibly rich collection of young talent, will be good one day. They might even be great. That’s an inevitability.

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