That's not an excuse. OEL was acquired to be one of the leaders of the team, and step up when things aren't going well. You're lying to yourself if you don't see that his skating has fallen off this season. It's possible that he's injured, as I think he did suffer a lower body injury in the offseason. But regardless, with injuries and age he's likely on the decline already. He's already overpaid, and not put in position on this team where we can even maximize his value. He's mediocre on the PK, not as a good as Hughes on PP, and used in a shutdown role that does not play to his strengths. I need to look into the cap implications, but I think realistically OEL is a buyout candidate. The fact that we gave up a top 10 pick for him is an absolute joke.