I am not sure what to think or expect going into next season. I am interested (but also scared) to see what Chiarelli does.
Considering what Gallant has done with Vegas's defense, I think TM and assistants need to adjust their system to try and get the puck out of their zone quicker and more effectively. This year and (the year before to some extent), the Oilers got pinned in their own zone way too often. Larsson, Nurse, Klefbom are good enough players that they should be able to get the puck out of their zone better. That being said I dont have a lot of faith in TM to adjust his systems in the modern game. We can bring in new players but if there is a problem with the system it really doesnt matter too much.
The coaching staff also needs to fix the special teams. The powerplay was awful last year. They need some new PP systems where its more creative and less predictable. I would rather see a assistant coach who has some offensive creativity in this spot. When you have players like McDavid and Drai, theres no excuse for the PP to be awful even without a RD. The penalty kill was awful last year but did get better as the year went on. If the rumours about Yawney are true, I think its a good fit. He ran a really good PK in anaheim and their defenseman improved by leaps and bounds while he was there. So I am at least hopeful on the PK part.
I personally think the Oilers need to keep Klefbom, Larsson and Nurse and continue to build. I dont really see the point of trading either of these players unless the deal makes sense (which I personally cant see many possibilities of). They have quite a bit of money tied up on their defense. I think the smartest thing to do is move one or both of Sekera and/or Russell. Both have nmc's till next year, Sekera is coming off a bad year and will be hard to move (if hes even willing to move) and I personally cant see Russell waiving his nmc unless its to Calgary or something. I think Sekera will rebound next year. I personally think its better to leave the defense as is, (unless they can move Russell) and just bring in some cheaper depth or maybe more of specialty cheap PP guy (who is not a top 4) until prospects are ready.
I do think they have some issues on the wings. They have a lot of holes and despite Chiarelli saying its adequate, I certainly dont think it is. Hard to know what he meant by that comment. This team needs 3 new wingers at a minimum I would say. They certainly need to give Draisaitl some good help. They are going to need to bring in some cheap wingers that can succeed. They really need to do their research on this one because they dont have a lot of cap space. I think it would be foolish to just pencil someone like Yamamoto into the line up. If hes ready, then hes ready. But he shouldnt make the team because theres no competition for the spot. I also think they shouldnt be penciling someone like Rattie into the lineup. Team just has way too many fringe players on the wings. I dont think Chiarelli is really in a bad situation here, but hes got some work to do. Correctly identifying cheap players for depth would really improve the team though.
Goaltending is a question mark. Talbot has been inconsistent but the defense hasnt helped him much. But he needs to be better next year. Hopefully Koskinen signing pushes him. There isnt much in terms of UFA goalies, so I understand why Koskinen makes sense. Hard to know what you have in goaltending, but I can see the rational of what they did. Even if the 2.5mil back up seems a bit high based on NHL experience, its relatively risk free and not a total panic move. All the goalies should be hungry for new contracts, so hopefully we have some success at this position.
The team should just be patient and make trades when they make sense and improve their depth. Continue to draft and develop, which takes time. Chiarelli has improved the AHL depth since he become GM (one of the few positives but it would of been much better without the Reinhart trade so meh).
Everyone wants this team to win now. Chiarellis job is on the line. I think we are going to see some short sighted moves where the future is sacrificed. I hope I am wrong.