Post-Game Talk: Flyers 4 Oilers 2

[Drivesaitl]

This loss was one of the biggest letdowns of the season.

We are losing to teams like Buffalo and Philly coming off ridiculous losing streaks.
We still play "down" to our opponents all the while still sitting in the bottom 3-5 teams ourselves.

Sickening.

Playoffs is work and we have to play more games, take up more of our own time, have less free time and offseason and don't get paid much for it who wants that?

Not a quote obviously but I wonder, I wonder a lot.

 

[ToeMcDrag83]

Playoffs is work and we have to play more games, take up more of our own time, have less free time and offseason and don't get paid much for it who wants that?

Not a quote obviously but I wonder, I wonder a lot.

You do gotta wonder.

Nobody says that of course, but the lethargy and apathy are showing up a little too often on the ice to not question the mindset.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Ya, in a lot of Leon’s German interviews he seems to be a bit full of himself.

nothing wrong with a little confidence and swagger...the best players have it

but the best players also work the hardest...has Leon?
not lately

 

[Blue Line Turnover]

Just finished watching the game off of the PVR; I must say, I regret watching it. Is it just me, or has Drai looked like utter shit for many of the games this season? I know he's almost a PPG, but there's almost zero semblance to the player of the last few years. He's showing almost zero creativity and his neutral zone speed/play looks horrendous.

 

[Shathar]

Playoffs is work and we have to play more games, take up more of our own time, have less free time and offseason and don't get paid much for it who wants that?

Not a quote obviously but I wonder, I wonder a lot.

I would be shocked to discover that ANY NHL player felt this way. Absolutely shocked. I don't think you get this good at something by treating it like a job at MacDonalds. No matter how much money you make. All of that stuff causes resentment, I understand that. They look terrible on the ice and I understand that too. But I'd be hard pressed to imagine that all of them aren't suffering in their own way.

 

[Zguy370]

Ya, in a lot of Leon’s German interviews he seems to be a bit full of himself.

Good for him., a big skilled /talented "kid" that will have the best of his career still ahead of him

 

[Drivesaitl]

I would be shocked to discover that ANY NHL player felt this way. Absolutely shocked. I don't think you get this good at something by treating it like a job at MacDonalds. No matter how much money you make. All of that stuff causes resentment, I understand that. They look terrible on the ice and I understand that too. But I'd be hard pressed to imagine that all of them aren't suffering in their own way.

I wasn't saying its actually the case, just that I wonder about it. But then again in fairness to me I'm a fan of the country club Oilers where players can predictably book tee times in advance.

Damn, its actually too hot today to snowshoe. Unless one was doing it in underwear in which case one would probably get arrested. Anybody get outside? Its almost suntan balmy. Sitting on the shoveled deck in comfort.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Just finished watching the game off of the PVR; I must say, I regret watching it. Is it just me, or has Drai looked like utter **** for many of the games this season? I know he's almost a PPG, but there's almost zero semblance to the player of the last few years. He's showing almost zero creativity and his neutral zone speed/play looks horrendous.

One also has to factor in who Draisaitl is playing with when away from Connor. Drai doesn't need a lot, even players like Pitlick and Slepy will do but we let Pitlick walk and slepy is injured. Drai works well with any player that can play a physical game and along with him control the puck. Conversely put him with weak dolts like Cagg or Camm or Strome and it just completely removes any jam in his game that he would otherwise create.

Trouble is Drai is a Center and he's doing all the corner digging so that dolts like Strome can get off a shot. Theres something wrong with that.

Like I've said a lot there are far too many "coolers" in this lineup. Players that just completely negate possession and production. Your good players are only going to be so good playing with weak players that aren't any good.

Man, Strome has been the worst player on the ice the last couple games. Is he determined to play his way out of the NHL?

 

[McBeastMode]

I wasn't saying its actually the case, just that I wonder about it. But then again in fairness to me I'm a fan of the country club Oilers where players can predictably book tee times in advance.

Damn, its actually too hot today to snowshoe. Unless one was doing it in underwear in which case one would probably get arrested. Anybody get outside? Its almost suntan balmy. Sitting on the shoveled deck in comfort.

It's sunny and plus 10°C west of Edmonton...

 

[Bryanbryoil]

One also has to factor in who Draisaitl is playing with when away from Connor. Drai doesn't need a lot, even players like Pitlick and Slepy will do but we let Pitlick walk and slepy is injured. Drai works well with any player that can play a physical game and along with him control the puck. Conversely put him with weak dolts like Cagg or Camm or Strome and it just completely removes any jam in his game that he would otherwise create.

Trouble is Drai is a Center and he's doing all the corner digging so that dolts like Strome can get off a shot. Theres something wrong with that.

Like I've said a lot there are far too many "coolers" in this lineup. Players that just completely negate possession and production. Your good players are only going to be so good playing with weak players that aren't any good.

Man, Strome has been the worst player on the ice the last couple games. Is he determined to play his way out of the NHL?

I preface this by saying that I'm a huge Drai fan and think that when he is himself he is the clear cut 2nd best player on this team by a good margin. With that out of the way he is either still being effected physically or psychologically from the concussion or he is ill. Something is not right with him or Connor for that matter.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I preface this by saying that I'm a huge Drai fan and think that when he is himself he is the clear cut 2nd best player on this team by a good margin. With that out of the way he is either still being effected physically or psychologically from the concussion or he is ill. Something is not right with him or Connor for that matter.

Its complicated. My fear is like players before them they've realized the limitations of this lineup. This happens all over the league in different teams in different years. Some years the players within feel like they have a group of players that can get it done and other years they feel like they don't have that.

No player can ever say this, or admit to this but you gotta think that the players on this club weren't all that impressed with an offseason shopping list that included Strome for Eberle and Jokinen and Auvitu as additions. I know I repeat it but I think the go to players on the team are intelligent enough to realize this dog won't hunt this year. The enthusiasm from last year is missing.

Can you imagine this team if it had obtained a player like Schenn instead of a player like Strome. Or work out a deal for Neal? Those potential deals imo were there. Philly got garbage in exchange for that. Flyers aren't even dressing Lehtera. Almost any club in the league could have given the Flyers a sweeter deal than that. Offseason deals can serve a function of either inflating or deflating a club.

Something strange going on in the org way beyond McD or Drai. Ample friction seems to be going on between coach and manager. The whole feel of the org is different this year. Something off. Probably tense as well that we have the GM following the club on roadtrips. I think theres a lot of "dead man walking" feelings going on from coach, to some players.

From reading about past coach firings and later player comments sometimes when that's going on theres so much uncertainty that even if the players like the coach, and I think they do, they feel uneasy, it ends up being a distraction, and ultimately the coach gets fired anyway which I suspect will happen within a months time. I've heard players in past situations say things like you are almost waiting for it.

There was a comment in the Journal, quoted a player anonymously, not sure if it was McD, said something like for the home games it feels like the team is expecting something bad to happen from the start. The mindset is all wrong this year.

 

[harpoon]

Something is not right with him.

Leon.............Lalala..I'm rich....

I mean that was the dart thrown at Hall, Eberle and RNH for years by their detractors.
Leon just got paid double what those guys did. Makes you wonder.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I mean that was the dart thrown at Hall, Eberle and RNH for years by their detractors.
Leon just got paid double what those guys did. Makes you wonder.

Goes back to Todd Marchant even. Guy had some success, got a good contract, and then had trouble the rest of his time trying to live up to it. Not that I'm making any comparison. Just that a guy can struggle with getting paid a lot more and how to feel like they are earning that. You can spin yourself in a rut pretty quick. Looking at Leon on the bench he's really getting down on himself a lot of the time when a play doesn't go right.

Agents of course don't care much about that type of thing in longrange contracts. They got their pie, they're happy as clams. But sometimes they negotiate contracts that are not, in all ways, the best things for the players themselves. Nobody ever tells players that. They don't hear it. They hear hit em up for as much coin as possible every time. Because obviously the agents are getting the percentage take.