Bottom 10? Edit: 6th worst, trending down, season over

[Canovin]

What top 4 D were available in the summer? That fit into a cap structure that we have? Yes you could have Hamonic, but you can't have Hamonic and Russell.

We need a top 2 D with the way Klefbom is playing. Two losses are mainly on him IMO.

Nurse, Russell, Auvitu, even Gryba were all decent to good last night ... Larsson is being dragged down by how bad Klefbom is.

I always wondered where Russell would go if we traded for Hamonic. The Flames didn't want him back and he wanted to be close to home.
Russell if utilized properly as a #5 helps this team. Definitely could afford Hamonic and Russell for the next 2 years. And we wouldn't have to sign Auvitu and Gryba. There's 2.5M we could have saved

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I always wondered where Russell would go if we traded for Hamonic. The Flames didn't want him back and we wanted to be close to home.
Russell if utilized properly as a #5 helps this team. Definitely could afford Hamonic and Russell for the next years. And we wouldn't have to sign Auvitu and Gryba. There's 2.5M we could have saved

*Insert argument about needing picks and players on cheap ELCs*

I just don't know how he convinced Chia to sign for 4 years.

 

[Soundwave]

*Insert argument about needing picks and players on cheap ELCs*

I just don't know how he convinced Chia to sign for 4 years.

He will be traded in 2 years. His contract is basically structured as such. From where I sit Russell has not been the problem. Along with Nurse, he's been decent/solid. It's another pairing that is the main problem.

 

[CycloneSweep]

*Insert argument about needing picks and players on cheap ELCs*

I just don't know how he convinced Chia to sign for 4 years.

Same way Draisaitl convinced him to give him 8.5 mill a year.

 

[Canovin]

He will be traded in 2 years. His contract is basically structured as such.

So we basically have to wait until Russell is traded to contend for the cup

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

He will be traded in 2 years. His contract is basically structured as such.

Except for that whole NMC thing. If Russell says no to who we want to trade him to then we're SOL. And that's of course assuming anyone wants him.

Same way Draisaitl convinced him to give him 8.5 mill a year.

Yeesh.

 

[Canovin]

Same way Draisaitl convinced him to give him 8.5 mill a year.

Blank check?

 

[Soundwave]

So we basically have to wait until Russell is traded to contend for the cup

Well you're never going to contend with Klefbom playing as he is, I'll give McDavid a bit of a pass because he'll bounce back, but he's not playing good enough either.

If the rest of the D wasn't a trainwreck, Russell would be having a pretty darn good season. He's on pace for 49 points right now. Not his fault Benning and Klefbom have regressed to ECHL D overnight.

Nurse and Russell have been decent to good. Klefbom and Benning are the main culprits, with a big emphais on Klefbom, and Larsson is having his play dragged down too because of how bad Klefbom is.

 

[Canovin]

Well you're never going to contend with Klefbom playing as he is, I'll give McDavid a bit of a pass because he'll bounce back, but he's not playing good enough either.

If the rest of the D wasn't a trainwreck, Russell would be having a pretty darn good season. He's on pace for 49 points right now. Not his fault Benning and Klefbom have regressed to ECHL D in the game's they have played this year.

So what you're saying is if we traded for a top 4 D and pair him with Russell, Russell would be having a good season?

 

[Soundwave]

So what you're saying is if we traded for a top 4 D and pair him with Russell, he would be having a good season?

Russell is playing good as is this year. Actually he's way up on offensive production.

Nurse and Russell have come to play on D this year. No one else has unfortunately. I'll give Larsson partial credit.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Well you're never going to contend with Klefbom playing as he is, I'll give McDavid a bit of a pass because he'll bounce back, but he's not playing good enough either.

If the rest of the D wasn't a trainwreck, Russell would be having a pretty darn good season. He's on pace for 49 points right now. Not his fault Benning and Klefbom have regressed to ECHL D in the game's they have played this year.

Given that Kris Russell has only broken 30 points once in his career (during the infamous Flames PDO God season), I don't think he'll even come close to the mark you're talking about.

Easy to blame Benning when he's playing a role he wasn't suited for. Happened a lot during the Tambellini/MacT days.

 

[Soundwave]

Given that Kris Russell has only broken 30 points once in his career (during the infamous Flames PDO God season), I don't think he'll even come close to the mark you're talking about.

Easy to blame Benning when he's playing a role he wasn't suited for. Happened a lot during the Tambellini/MacT days.

Yet Nurse is doing fine playing 3 spots up. I guess it is hard to go from no.5 D to no.4 ... but I don't think that excuses Benning entirely. In any case, Klefbom has been worse than everyone. Including Gryba. Right now from best to worst I'd rank the Oilers D as

1. Nurse
2. Russell
3. Larsson
4. Gryba
5. Auvitu
6. Benning
7. Klefbom

I'll Auvitu a pass but those two other guys below Gryba on that list need to do some soul searching.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Yet Nurse is doing fine playing 3 spots up. I guess it is hard to go from no.5 D to no.4 ... but I don't think that excuses Benning entirely. In any case, Klefbom has been worse than everyone. Including Gryba. Right now from best to worst I'd rank the Oilers D as

1. Nurse
2. Russell
3. Larsson
4. Gryba
5. Auvitu
6. Benning
7. Klefbom

Nurse (supposedly) has a higher ceiling and more experience than Benning. A smart GM would've patched Sekera's hole with a player who perhaps has played more than 60 games in his career...

 

[Soundwave]

I would have signed Francois Beaucheman as an emergency vet, but that still doesn't account for all of our problems, or quite frankly even close. It's simply unfathomable how bad Klefbom has been.

I think right now he might be the worst defenceman I have seen in Oiler silks in the last 5-6 years and that is saying something. Justin Schultz towards the end was the worst I've seen, but I think Klef is topping that right now. Schultz at least would not have pinched on the very first shift of the game.

 

[YakDavid]

I just see a team that is so disjointed at the moment. Lots of players playing below their standards. From goaltending not giving confidence to defenders and vice versa. Forwards aren't scoring and not being as efficient in defencive zone. The penalty kill is struggling big time and the power play isn't helping either. Normally you will have one or two of those not clicking but its all of them. I think we need to get in a rhythm and other pieces will fall into place. I don't like blaming goalies but we need one to step up and take control. Out play the goalie on the other side to start building confidence. McDavid doesn't look his same yet but that being said he is still creating chances.

 

[Soundwave]

I honestly would consider calling up Mark Fayne. IMO he can't be worse than several of our guys right now. Todd is being stubborn in blacklisting him.

Nurse Larsson
Russell Fayne
Klefbom Benning

Is what I'd roll with.

I also would remove Klefbom from the 1st unit PP for Larsson. Enough is enough.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I reeeeeally don't think that's a good idea. That just screams panic and with the Hawks up next they'd eat him alive.

 

[nexttothemoon]

I'd sooner call up Simpson than Fayne. Fayne is about #10 on the depth chart.

Not sure how much longer Stanton will be out... I never heard how serious the injury was but if it was a break, I assume that might be a couple months.

Stanton is a solid dman who would be an excellent callup as well if available.

 

[PatrikOverAuston]

Here's this team's biggest problem in a nutshell:

1st liners:

2 (McDavid, Draisaitl)

2nd liners:

2 (RNH, Lucic)

3rd liners:

2 (Maroon, Strome)

4th liners:

3 (Jokinen, Letestu, Kassian)

PB:

2 (Pakarinen, Malone)

Unknown/Incomplete Data:

4 (Slepyshev, Caggiula, Yamamoto, Khaira)

When two of your top six and three of your top nine are fourth liners or non-established NHLers, you cannot hope to compete. Chia should have known this would be an issue, but he stubbornly refused to and now here we are bottom five with a bullet.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Here's this team's biggest problem in a nutshell:

1st liners:

2 (McDavid, Draisaitl)

2nd liners:

2 (RNH, Lucic)

3rd liners:

2 (Maroon, Strome)

4th liners:

3 (Jokinen, Letestu, Kassian)

PB:

2 (Pakarinen, Malone)

Unknown/Incomplete Data:

4 (Slepyshev, Caggiula, Yamamoto, Khaira)

When two of your top six and three of your top nine are fourth liners or non-established NHLers, you cannot hope to compete. Chia should have known this would be an issue, but he stubbornly refused to and now here we are bottom five with a bullet.

hey, where was your "doom and gloom" threads in the summer addressing your concerns of the team then?
must've missed them

 

[shoop]

Yet Nurse is doing fine playing 3 spots up. I guess it is hard to go from no.5 D to no.4 ... but I don't think that excuses Benning entirely. In any case, Klefbom has been worse than everyone. Including Gryba. Right now from best to worst I'd rank the Oilers D as

1. Nurse
2. Russell
3. Larsson
4. Gryba
5. Auvitu
6. Benning
7. Klefbom

I'll Auvitu a pass but those two other guys below Gryba on that list need to do some soul searching.

Agreed. I think Klefbom will come around. Benning? I'm starting to suspect last year was a one off.

 

[Chef de Cuisine]

uhh, so Vegas are 6-1? and we're down here?

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Agreed. I think Klefbom will come around. Benning? I'm starting to suspect last year was a one off.

Odd timing to say that when IMO he had his best game of the season today.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Odd timing to say that when IMO he had his best game of the season today.

Although that's not saying to much, I agree. Didn't really notice him tonight outside of his really soft slashing penalty

 

[KingKhron]

If I’m not mistaken, Russell’s contract is very much structured to be movable after 2 and if not that, definitely 3 seasons. As others have said, that’s not even the issue this year at all. The frequently anointed top pairing, maybe top 15-20 dman in the league, Klefbom, has been a massive disappointment. I never had faith that Benning was just going to continue his linear development and be a stud.