Edmonton Oilers can't shake that losing feeling

You’d figure that at some point a blind squirrel would find a nut. It’s cliche, but it’s true in many ways.

Sadly, this is the case for the Edmonton Oilers, who have been wandering in “blind squirrel” wilderness for 10 games now – or since 2006 if you count the years the team has missed the postseason.

Basically, this team has reached an extreme amount of tipping points in the past eight years – and another one appears to be finding them right now, following the organization’s 10th straight loss. This one to the Arizona Coyotes.  During this stretch, the Oil have gone 0-7-3. Edmonton has also lost 14 of its past 16 games and remains winless in 15 games versus the Western Conference this season.

Says the Edmonton Sun:

“The Arizona Coyotes aren’t Phoenix anymore, and you can kind of say the same thing about the Edmonton Oilers — because any hope that this hapless organization will ever rise from the ashes took another kick in the gut Monday.”

Snark from the media is expected in Edmonton. After all, a beat reporter can’t watch a team lose so many times and write the same story over and over again. It’s gotten so bad, even the team captain is spouting off in eloquent fashion …

Said Andrew Ference to the Edmonton Journal:

“We’ve talked everything to death, honestly,” Ference said. “Especially guys that come from different organizations — they know the difference between what works and what doesn’t and what’s positive and what’s not.

“You feel for coaches that are trying to have the same message. It’s a winning message. I’ve had a lot of success on a lot of teams. The message is the right message and the X’s and O’s are the right X’s and O’s.

Ference also referred to the Oilers’ cycle as “insanity” to the Edmonton Sun.

No matter what, Ference is clearly on to something here. When a team with that type of talent – let’s face it, when Calgary’s rebuilding process lasts less time than Edmonton’s eight-year sojourn, there’s a problem – is still rebuilding, there’s a clear systematic problem. And it goes right to the top.

Owner Daryl Katz has left the ‘80s dynastic Oilers, whose management skills clearly don’t match their hockey skills, in charge of this disaster.

The team can't even win in the courtroom, losing out on a deal to purchase the Erie Otters.

And the sad truth is that the team itself has an excellent array of talent – from Taylor Hall to Jordan Eberle to Nail Yakupov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the list goes on.

Yes, the team has issues on defense -- it's basically an AHL level group, Ference included. Justin Schultz hasn't worked out to this point and Darnell Nurse is a project that is probably going to take a while. Also, Ben Scrivens is solid, but he's not an every night No. 1 goaltender.

Can you name the last time the Oilers had a real No. 1 netminder? And Dwayne Roloson doesn't count. Sorry, he just doesn't. Calling CuJo ... Tommy Salo ...

But also, how can a team with three straight No. 1 overall picks not at least show some progress at this point? Like at least the playoffs perhaps?

You want to look at Dallas Eakins? Yeah, the coach is hyper intense -- almost to a fault. But he’s now the team’s fifth coach since its last postseason run. So five guys – some of which were solid names who had won with other teams (Pat Quinn, Tom Renney) – couldn’t figure it out?

Edmonton is a hard place to attract free agents, simply based on location. Hockey players want winning and many want sunshine and warmth. Combine the two, you have spots like Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Jose, where players want to play.

Edmonton offers none of the above, except a losing culture.

Maybe the new arena – which will be ready in 2016-17 -- will help attract guys? Maybe it’ll turn Edmonton into more of a glamor spot? If that’s possible.

But until then the losing fun continues with the Oilers. And it’s not going to stop any time soon.

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY