How are the Oilers this bad with mcdavid?

[Shockmaster]

How naive do you have to be to think that one superstar automatically makes a team good?

Well Oilers fans told us all off season that would be the case.

 

[Dack]

Never forget he was in the voting for GM of the year last year.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Gretzky lead the league in scoring in 93-94, and the Kings finished with the 5th worst record in the league. Closer to 3rd worst than 6th worst too.

The NHL isn't the NBA. One guy doesn't make nearly the same difference.

 

[Field of Dreams]

Edmonton Vegas game earlier this week was a total disgrace to the sport, no heart, no effort, just mailed it in. Edmonton needs some real leadership.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

When team wins its because of McDavid, when team is losing, its because of his teammates.

This is true, but mostly because when he plays well, the oilers win. Hard to blame him for poor goaltending.

Though I'm sure many were hoping for him to take a big step forward this year, and that just hasn't happened.

 

[guzzy]

Which size and toughness? Boston has size and overall toughness and they are doing great. Oilers have Lucic, Maroon and Kassian. They are tough but hardly the problem. Kassian is a great bottom 6 forward and Maroon can handle himself well in any line as a go to the net guy with 30 goal potential.

Its not like the fast guys like Cammalleri are doing any better. Bad D and goalie would be the main problems and having Nugent Hopkins injured doesn't help.

Maroon doesn’t have 30 goal potential on any team, except Edmonton, playing next to mcdavid. Very sad to see the oilers in full tank mode again. It is one thing they are good at though

 

[PunkRockLocke]

Interesting the number of people here so adamant that McDavid deserves no blame...
He provides a lot of offense - but that is all he does. He is not particularly multi-dimensional. He is the leader of the team (supposedly) and absolutely should take some responsibility.

I am well aware that it takes much more than one superstar to make a good team, but they are such a disgrace this year that the Captain does deserve some blame.

The fact that he is just straight up overhyped and overrated is another issue, and not his fault.

 

[authentic]

This is true, but mostly because when he plays well, the oilers win. Hard to blame him for poor goaltending.

Though I'm sure many were hoping for him to take a big step forward this year, and that just hasn't happened.

Sort of like Crosby in his 3rd season.

 

[grieves]

One player does not make or break a team. He's not even on the ice 2/3 of the time. For a player to make that kind of difference that some are suggesting, they would have to score a hat trick every game.

Overall roster strength and depth, goaltending, optimal systems (PP, PK, team defense, break-out etc.), optimal line combinations (chemistry), matching up your lines properly (in-game coaching) etc. are what make or break a team. If these things are lacking, it does not matter if you have two McDavid's.

 

[puckIuck]

Arrogance.

No reason for a perennial bottom feeder that got lucky one year to be arrogant. I can see a team like the Blackhawks being arrogant but the Alberta lottery champs? They just stink.

 

[Mr Tadakichi]

The sharks warned us about TM. They tried to warn us, but they failed.

THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!

 

[Whaleafs]

 

[CycloneSweep]

Our coaching staff is pure trash. Starts there

 

[Mr Tadakichi]

Seriously though, when your PK is historically bad at home but best on the road, something really is wonky going on right now.

 

[Static]

They rode Talbot into the ground.

 

[New User Name]

Clueless GM and other management.

Chiarelli is the worst GM in NHL history......yes worse than Milbury.

If I was an Oilers fan I'd be scared what he does at the trade deadline.

 

[57special]

Chia ruined the team's depth and identity

Excuse me? Oilers were an awful team with a lot of losers on the roster before Chia. Losing that identity would actually be a good thing.

 

[57special]

A good 80% of it is on Talbot. With league average goaltending they're probably a bubble team even with all the other deficiencies.

When i read things like this it usually means that they team doesn't know how to play defense.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

How were the Penguins so bad with Lemieux in the 80's?

 

[Rabid Ranger]

...it's a tough league.

 

[Plub]

It certainly doesn't help when McDavid is terrible with the rest of the team like today.

 

[Baxterman]

Maroon can handle himself well in any line as a go to the net guy with 30 goal potential.

30 goal potential?? Come on

He had 27 in a miracel year last year, will be 30 at the end of this year and has had seasons of:

11, 12, and now 14 goals in the seasons outside of that one year.

He does not have 30 goal potential unless you are talking about the anything is possible kind of 30 goal potential that brings 75% of the league into play.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Full on willing to bet that Bettman goes into the room when they roll the lottery numbers and makes sure it doesn't happen.

Full on willing to bet that won’t happen cause the lottery is conducted by a reputable firm

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Well I mean yes but there is really no excuse for them to not be better with a player like McDavid in his 3rd season in the league. It's not McDavid's fault but pretty well every other player with his kind of pedigree was at the very least a solid playoff team by the time the ELC was coming to an end. Now Edmonton has to fix a lack of depth with McDavid making 12.5 a year when they couldn't with him making 3 or 4 lol

Lemieux didn’t make the playoffs in his first 4 years

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Sort of like Crosby in his 3rd season.

Yea, Crosby went down with a high ankle sprain and it took him some time to recover.