from Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun,

Owner Daryl Katz, CEO Bob Nicholson and whoever else is in the inner circle making decisions for this team needs to listen closely to the players. Not just what they are saying, but the tone with which they are saying it.

The players are getting tired of this. Fed up. And no one can blame them.

The comments we heard from Connor McDavid on Monday night in Las Vegas shouldn’t be dismissed as an angry captain venting after a loss. McDavid doesn’t say anything by accident. His comments are always measured and deliberate. He’s the most controlled and laconic interview I’ve ever met. He knows that the minute he says something good it’s going viral and the minute he says something harsh it’s going nuclear.

That’s why he chooses his words very carefully. So when McDavid says his frustration level is “really, really high,” and “it’s been an insane season,” and it’s been “emotionally challenging” and “we have a lot of crap to figure out,” the guys at the top should take him very seriously and make sure that after nine years of failed attempts under Katz, they actually figure this crap out....

He is not alone. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who turns 26 later this month, has been an Oiler for eight years and he’s seen the post-season once. He is watching his career pass by without getting to enjoy the reason they all play hockey in the first place: For a chance at a Stanley Cup....

“At this point, it’s definitely disappointing,” he said. “For me, personally, (a career year) doesn’t really matter that much. It’s about making the playoffs.

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