ToeMcDrag83
5-14-6-1
If that happens I will vomit profusely
Make sure you aim for Treliving
If that happens I will vomit profusely
I was hoping for us to try and replace Russell with an OFD, but Chiarelli has picked Russell. To me, it is a bit disappointing, but understandable. Sekera-Russell was a great pairing so it is better to have Russell than not have him.
We're also a team that has more to lose than to gain by making big changes. You don't see many other top tier teams changing much.
And to be real, there is one major way that we will see upgrades this year:
McDavid
Draisaitl
Nurse
Benning
Caggiula
Brossoit
Puljujarvi
Larsson
Klefbom
All these please are young, and have one more year of experience, and one more year closer to their physical prime. Maybe not everyone has a step forward, but most will. We are a young team that's main mission now is to grow into its potential, and it's already a team that was one game away from making the western final.
The team that almost won the cup the previous year.
I was hoping for us to try and replace Russell with an OFD, but Chiarelli has picked Russell. To me, it is a bit disappointing, but understandable. Sekera-Russell was a great pairing so it is better to have Russell than not have him.
We're also a team that has more to lose than to gain by making big changes. You don't see many other top tier teams changing much.
And to be real, there is one major way that we will see upgrades this year:
McDavid
Draisaitl
Nurse
Benning
Caggiula
Brossoit
Puljujarvi
Larsson
Klefbom
All these please are young, and have one more year of experience, and one more year closer to their physical prime. Maybe not everyone has a step forward, but most will. We are a young team that's main mission now is to grow into its potential, and it's already a team that was one game away from making the western final.
You realize their #1 center was playing on 1 leg right? And we still had to make it by Nashville and Pittsburgh which IMO wasn't happening.
Tear it apart!The Oilers had a good dressing room for the first time in a decade and certain people are chomping at the bit to rip it apart? Add in the contract uncertainty with how much McDavid and Draisaitl will command, and I can understand Chiarelli locking up the guys from last year's team who fulfilled their role and then waiting to see if a fit can be found in UFA.
How so?
Thornton and Boedker were the only decent players to not play all 6 games. They still played 4 each.
There were likely many players playing injured, but Edmonton played most of the series with the flu and had their own injuries to deal with I'm sure.
Everyone plays hurt in the playoffs.
Maroon-McD-Strome
Looch-Drai-JP
Cags-RNH-Kassian
Sleppy-Letestu-JJ
Klef-Larsson
Russel-Benning
Nurse-Gryba
Make sure you aim for Treliving
Just because you're playing doesn't mean you're 100%.
Thornton was basically playing with a floating knee. Marleau had a broken fingers. Couture still wasn't 100%. Donskoi had a shoulder injury. Hertl had a broken foot.
We were 100x luckier than they were when it came to injuries
You know, you're not wrong.
But we have used that logic before. Hall, Eberle, Schultz, Yakupov, Nuge.
Now I'm not saying the players you listed aren't capable of bucking the trend, but surrounding the team with a better pieces to help facilitate that is what I'm looking for.
Injured Sekera opens up an opportunity for Nurse/Benning. But a step down is as likely as a step up in the wrong circumstances. Look how Davidson's value/play dropped after a promising end to 2016.
I am banking on the players you listed a lot more than the other names I've mentioned. You are correct.
Just a little uneasy at putting more "ifs" into the season than we need to.
The Oilers had a good dressing room for the first time in a decade and certain people are chomping at the bit to rip it apart? Add in the contract uncertainty with how much McDavid and Draisaitl will command, and I can understand Chiarelli locking up the guys from last year's team who fulfilled their role and then waiting to see if a fit can be found in UFA.