Post-Game Talk: Flyers 4 Oilers 2

[CantHaveTkachev]

The problem wasn't trading Eberle. Eberle would have been a 15 point, -8 player right now on this team this year.

The issue was replacing Eberle with Strome.

this is very true

 

[oobga]

Why not just hire this chick and have her follow the team around all day?

 

[Cloned]

Fixing the special teams as a focus seems like attending to a paint crack on the Titanic.

This team has much bigger, fundamental problems than just special teams. If anything, the special teams are a symptom, not the disease.

 

[FlameChampion]

The problem wasn't trading Eberle. Eberle would have been a 15 point, -8 player right now on this team this year.

The issue was replacing Eberle with Strome.

Strome hasnt been great this year but there are bigger problems on this team than Strome. I wouldnt even say hes a problem, but he hasnt helped either (granted I dont think hes been utilized properly (like a lot of people)which I think is part of a bigger problem).

 

[Oilfan2]

Fixing the special teams as a focus seems like attending to a paint crack on the Titanic.

This team has much bigger, fundamental problems than just special teams. If anything, the special teams are a symptom, not the disease.

Pretty much...

There are a few on here that could do a better management job, given the budget and pay...

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Fixing the special teams as a focus seems like attending to a paint crack on the Titanic.

This team has much bigger, fundamental problems than just special teams. If anything, the special teams are a symptom, not the disease.

to me, the Special teams IS the fundamental problem

 

[Cloned]

Strome hasnt been great this year but there are bigger problems on this team than Strome. I wouldnt even say hes a problem, but he hasnt helped either (granted I dont think hes been utilized properly (like a lot of people)which I think is part of a bigger problem).

Not blaming him, but replacing Eberle with ONLY Strome was always going to be an issue.

 

[Cloned]

to me, the Special team IS the fundamental problem

If you work endlessly on something and it doesn't improve, there are more fundamental reasons behind the problem.

Like I said, the special teams are a manifestation of the actual fundamental problems on the team, namely roster composition and coaching competency.

 

[GRadio]

If we had waited to sign McDavid and especially Draisaitl til after this season, we would have gotten them for waaaaaaaaay cheaper

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

If you work endlessly on something and it doesn't improve, there are more fundamental reasons behind the problem.

Like I said, the special teams are a manifestation of the actual fundamental problems on the team, namely roster composition and coaching competency.

but this team is a historic run of futility on the PK...especially at home...with basically the same personnel as last year (they finished 18th)
on the PP, the team finished top 10 with the exact same PP unit...and now its bottom 10

to me, its coaching and goaltending

 

[JarvisFunk]

If we had waited to sign McDavid and especially Draisaitl til after this season, we would have gotten them for waaaaaaaaay cheaper

Draisaitl would be a free agent if we didnt sign him in the off season.

 

[FlameChampion]

If you work endlessly on something and it doesn't improve, there are more fundamental reasons behind the problem.

Like I said, the special teams are a manifestation of the actual fundamental problems on the team, namely roster composition and coaching competency.

Have they worked on it endlessly though? They have made very little adjustments at all to the special teams ....

I am not saying you're wrong because we dont know what happens in video sessions or practice ... but it sure seems like the coaching staff continuously deploys the same tactics game after game despite it not working at all.

 

[Oilfan2]

but this team is a historic run of futility on the PK...especially at home...with basically the same personnel as last year (they finished 18th)
on the PP, the team finished top 10 with the exact same PP unit...and now its bottom 10

to me, its coaching and goaltending

They finished 18th mostly because of Talbot but a little to the different makeup.

PP..when the whole team is playing 'wrong', the PP will follow.

 

[Cloned]

but this team is a historic run of futility on the PK...especially at home...with basically the same personnel as last year (they finished 18th)
on the PP, the team finished top 10 with the exact same PP unit...and now its bottom 10

to me, its coaching and goaltending

Well whatever the fundamental reasons are, having the same problematic factors at work will never allow this thing to improve. It's like allowing me to run NASA and wondering why the spaceships never get off the ground properly.

 

[Cloned]

Have they worked on it endlessly though? They have made very little adjustments at all to the special teams ....

I am not saying you're wrong because we dont know what happens in video sessions or practice ... but it sure seems like the coaching staff continuously deploys the same tactics game after game despite it not working at all.

And yet the same coaching staff is focusing portions of practice on it today. Working on something is good if the people involved are competent and adaptable. Otherwise it's just ramming your head against a brick wall wondering why you can't make a dent in it.

 

[nabob]

If we had waited to sign McDavid and especially Draisaitl til after this season, we would have gotten them for waaaaaaaaay cheaper

You realize that Drai was a free agent and had to be signed in order to play this year? Are you saying we should have sat him for an entire season knowing that the team would falter just to save on his cap hit moving forward, while risking losing him for nothing.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Well whatever the fundamental reasons are, having the same problematic factors at work will never allow this thing to improve. It's like allowing me to run NASA and wondering why the spaceships never get off the ground properly.

I think Chiarelli tried to address it with the Jokinen signing...unfortunately that was a bust signing

 

[Da McBomb]

Would've liked to see Draisaitl be able to carry his own line this year.. but I guess he's not able to yet at this age. His play has been very uninspiring... such a disappointment after giving him that big contract.

 

[Cloned]

Would've liked to see Draisaitl be able to carry his own line this year.. but I guess he's not able to yet at this age. His play has been very uninspiring... such a disappointment after giving him that big contract.

More concerning is the fact that he looked sluggish for the first two periods separated from McDavid, and only started playing with jump after being reunited in the third period.

 

[Da McBomb]

More concerning is the fact that he looked sluggish for the first two periods separated from McDavid, and only started playing with jump after being reunited in the third period.

That's true. I would also put Maroon into the same category, who seems to have an extra step/gear in his game only on McDavid's line.

 

[FlameChampion]

More concerning is the fact that he looked sluggish for the first two periods separated from McDavid, and only started playing with jump after being reunited in the third period.

Yeah i mean when you look at the numbers, Draisaitl 5 on 5 numbers are good. He hasnt scored a PP point which is unbelievable since he was dynamite on the PP last year. Maybe if the PP was clicking we wouldnt be having this conversation. But he just hasnt looked that great all year from eye test. Hes had a couple really good games but hes been inconsistent to say the least. Maybe its the concussion, I dunno. Him (and even McDavid to a lesser extent though I think he is just frustrated with the season) almost pouts when they dont play together.

 

[CornKicker]

if im jay woodcroft I sit in a room with McDavid and ask him to draw up the ideal PP. he already sees the game better than anyone why not get his full input. AKA if we do it your way how can you score?

 

[rboomercat90]

It seems like criticism here always seems to shift to the coaching but its obvious that this Chia lineup won't hunt and the players aren't knocking themselves out another season trying to cover for obvious flaws in the lineup.

There is no coaching stratagem, none, to counter a lineup that gives up in games. This twisted facet of Oilers play this season is staring us in the face every game. We see it, we see hopeless players have key roles on the team. We watch that game in and game out noting the pustules in this lineup. Then you come here for another round of coach blaming. Its uncanny.

Heres a fun game. Outside of maybe one play note what the following fill players did last night to earn a paycheck;

Letestu, Khaira, Cagg, Strome, Benning, Gryba, Camm, Auvitu, Brossoit.

That's 9 players not playing well enough to even be in the league.
ftr that's 9/19 players dressed last night.

What coaching alters the result of having that many pathetic players in the lineup?

What reasonably intelligent player doesn't realize that a team with 9-10 duds in the lineup is just a bad team that isn't going anywhere.

The players have given up on what this lineup is. Nothing could be more obvious.

I don’t understand how you absolve coaching in this mess. A big part of the coaches job is to get the most out of his players. That isn’t remotely happening with any of them. You listed 9 players who you figured are just there to collect Cheques. Shouldn’t be hard for any good coach to get those particular guys to buy in to some kind of system to keep collecting those cheques. We’re seeing failure everywhere in this organization. Nobody escapes blame.

 

[nexttothemoon]

Why not just hire this chick and have her follow the team around all day?

Naked bag skates?

 

[Drivesaitl]

I don’t understand how you absolve coaching in this mess. A big part of the coaches job is to get the most out of his players. That isn’t remotely happening with any of them. You listed 9 players who you figured are just there to collect Cheques. Shouldn’t be hard for any good coach to get those particular guys to buy in to some kind of system to keep collecting those cheques. We’re seeing failure everywhere in this organization. Nobody escapes blame.

That isn't what I'm saying at all. I'm saying, and have since the season started, that we've been rotating up to 10 players into the lineup that simply are not good enough. You could whip those guys hard as you want, imo they either were never NHL calibre players or are past being that (guys like Letestu, Jokinen, Camm)

I don't see how a coach can be blamed when have the roster provided for him, by the GM, simply won't be able to hunt at this level. We have half an AHL calibre club.
Again that's not on coaching. Even the better players in the lineup, that are NHL calibre, you can see the intense game to game stress they are under because its up to the same handful of forwards to get it done every night. Its up to Talbot to get it done every night, and up to a few D. Other than the lineup is putrid.

This is all on Chia. His offseason moves were a joke. The club is worse than last season when its typical for Pro clubs to get better.