Line Combos: Hey HFOil, Help Out Our Pro Scouts! Long Term Wingers For McDavid and Draisaitl

[iCanada]

I might be missing something in your post/philosophy. I'm not sure making this team physically tougher necessarily makes it better. Chiarelli tried that to some extent. As currently constructed after three GM's and multiple rebuilds this team has a generational player whose in on about 60% of the team's goals. They have a second elite whose sublime skill set straddles him between elite goal scoring winger and power 2C with lesser talent and less consistent results. This team needs bigger skill top six forwards who give this team greater scoring balance to compete with playoff teams. And one addition needs to be a goal scorer with ability to pot 25+ goals who can supplement winger Draisaitl when this team chooses to stack its two best players.

The 80's template foundation was a top six forward group comprised of what became four Hall of Famers rolling out lethal pairings of Gretzky/Kurri and balanced by Messier/Anderson. They smartly complemented this top six firepower with hard edged support players.

Today's game is so different. I think it's less rugby style intimidation (which I don't think is a viable winning formula) and more balanced, bigger skilled top six talent that gives viable options when opposition want to play a trapping, collapse game against McDavid and little viable options for scoring when Draisailt is neutralized too through it. Still been a coin flip series despite McDavid and Draisaitl being shut down. Need more talent around them including a volume shooter/goal scoring option.

The problem with Chiarelli's teams was not general construction philosophy, it was talent.

You didn't see anyone in 2017 committing 5 skaters to collapsing in front of the net and hog-tying McDrai.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Our problem is that many of our smaller players aren't high skill guys and that many of our bigger bodies skate in quicksand or have taken up pacifism.

Holland and Tippett have had to nibble around the roster while inheriting a massive cap issue (thanks Chiarelli!). They've stitched together a team that's improved substantively in their two years here and I think Tippett's been pretty good at camouflaging weak depth (moving Draisaitl and Nugent Hopkins around is a big part of that). But they're now in a big boy series where the strategy to shutdown McDavid through stacking the neutral zone and taking away his o-zone time and space badly exposes the lack of legitimate scoring options. On the positive, all of the support lines and team as a whole have held their own in d-zone play with the system and disciplined play Tippett's instilled.

This has been a coin flip series in which the Oilers could have a split or even better. But what we're learning is this team's roster is still a long way from legitimate playoff competitiveness with little scoring options when the game plan strategy of the Jets (Canadians and Leafs) use numbers to neutralize the guy responsible for nearly 60% of Oiler scoring.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

The problem with Chiarelli's teams was not general construction philosophy, it was talent.

You didn't see anyone in 2017 committing 5 skaters to collapsing in front of the net and hog-tying McDrai.

Unfortunately Chiarelli made far more bad decisions than good. Holland's now digging out from this with a threadbare lineup that's exposed when teams clog the neutral zone to disrupt McDavid's slashing style that breaks down defences, then throw 2 and 3 players on him to take McDavid's time and space to feed cross seam passes to this team's elite finisher. Without quality second line support which has been a rotating tread water endeavour with Nugent Hopkins this team has been and is being exposed. Playoff hockey is close checking, physical and often with whistles swallowed by the referees. I like that Tippett in his presser isn't wailing loser's lament (they did have 3 PP's in game 2). This is purely and simply a team with a lot of holes challenged to win when its generational player is clogged down by hard, aggressive opposition and its saving grace top NHL PP is missing in action.

Team needs substantive quality adds to their top six. Wasn't a mystery before but exposed cleary in this year's playoff.

 

[Kshahdoo]

They should look at the Rangers. NYR have too many current/future top6 wingers to keep them all. Panarin, Kreider, Buch, Laf, Kakko, Kravtsov... I'd say, getting Buchnevich is the most realistic scenario. He will look good on Drai's RW.

 

[voxel]

Connor Garland.
Lando (UFA)
Ovi (UFA)
Hall (UFA)

Lots of UFA options.. lol.

 

[iCanada]

They should look at the Rangers. NYR have too many current/future top6 wingers to keep them all. Panarin, Kreider, Buch, Laf, Kakko, Kravtsov... I'd say, getting Buchnevich is the most realistic scenario. He will look good on Drai's RW.

I'd quite like Buchnevich.

He'd be a good pick up imo.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

Honestly while Kahun hasn't worked out, these are the types of deals the Oilers should focus on if you can't land the big fish free agents. I'd much rather take a flier on a bunch of hungry young players needing to show up to get that big payday than hand out a big payday to mediocre character first skill second players like Lucic/Kassian who do nothing but ruin our cap situation.