Yeah, when he initially came to Edmonton I thought "yes, perfect -- that's exactly the kind of player we need". The Oilers have 2 really big problems preventing them from looking like an NHL team instead of an Atom Tier 4 team:
1) Passing. So basic, but it's so rare for us to do it right. Either they're lazy "please intercept me" softies, or they're about 6 feet off their mark. Brutal to see pros pass like that.
2) Going to the net. This is why I loved Cole so much. All of the Oilers are scared to crash the net and pick up rebounds. This was a gaping hole left by Smyth that Dustin "Pylon" Penner sure hasn't filled. When Hemsky finally started shooting earlier this season, there was no one remotely near the front of the net to bang in a rebound. It's not a size thing, it's a timing and desire. If you've got a guy like Horcoff who is only ever going to shoot from the halfboards, why the hell isn't there someone lurking either behind the net a la Gretzky, or someone off the other side of the net waiting to move in once the shot's made? It's ludicrous and I can't believe it's still happening.
Guess we'll see in the long run how the trade plays out, but I can't really see how the Oilers gained anything losing Cole and picking up a couple of so-sos.