Line Combos: Ryan Nugent Hopkins should Center the 3rd line.

[Perfect_Drug]

Our depth is getting absolutely carved right now.
Our bottom 6 are the suckiest sucks that ever sucked. Turris clearly isn't the answer.

We need to spread the suck to other lines, in hopes to get them going because our bottom 6 xGF is f***ing heinous where the top 2 are ridiculously stacked.

Has anyone else noticed our depth getting absolutely thrashed the second TMac converted RNH to wing?


Sure he adds a significant punch to our top 6, but man, we need help back there in a BIG way.
He's been mostly a positive corsi player despite lugging around Lucic.

He could be an absolutely DEADLY 3rd line player similar to how Toffoli is scorching our division against the weaker matchups. It will give Tippett the ability to roll 3 lines without fear of getting carved.


Neal - McD - Kassian
Kahun - Drai - Puljujaarvi
Ennis - RNH - Yamamoto
Nygard - Turris - Shore

Top 6 isn't NEARLY as sexy, but they're not going to get thrashed in with McDrai still up there. He's a stat-padding luxury up there more than actually helping to contribute to wins.

We can still stack the top 2 lines situationally, but our depth problems can definitely be solved internally. We AREN'T getting depth help through a trade this season.

Click to read more...

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

If we had any semblance of top 6 wingers he would already. We're forced to hamstring ourselves because the depth is just as bad as it ever was. How f***ing hard is it to find top 6 wingers?

 

[Canovin]

RNH has been so complacent on the wing lately that it's better off making him run his own line on the bottom 6

 

[Aerchon]

Being a one line team is a legit tactic in today's NHL. We need to at least try the DRY line to attempt to save the year.

After that has been run for a month and we continue to sink, sure let's try RNH on the third line.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

If we had any semblance of top 6 wingers he would already. We're forced to hamstring ourselves because the depth is just as bad as it ever was. How f***ing hard is it to find top 6 wingers?

I think McDavid and Draisaitl are good enough to carry sub-par wingers. Sure they might not score 3 points a night, but at least they're the kinds of players that can tilt the ice regardless of who's on with them.

Nuge playing as a winger isn't helping us win. It's helping Draisaitl and McDavid put up points.
Sure our offense isn't nearly as punchy as we'd want it, but this is coming at the cost of our bottom 6 cratering GA.


The 2nd major problem is deployment.

McD is getting 61.4% Offensive zone starts.
The problem with this scenario, is that Turris ends up with 67.2% Defensive zone stars, and he's horrible defensively.

Connor needs to get those deployments closer to 50/50


The infuriating thing is we're just padding RNH stats in a contract year at the cost of actual wins.

 

[bucks_oil]

Our depth is getting absolutely carved right now.
Our bottom 6 are the suckiest sucks that ever sucked. Turris clearly isn't the answer.

We need to spread the suck to other lines, in hopes to get them going because our bottom 6 xGF is f***ing heinous where the top 2 are ridiculously stacked.

Has anyone else noticed our depth getting absolutely thrashed the second TMac converted RNH to wing?


Sure he adds a significant punch to our top 6, but man, we need help back there in a BIG way.
He's been mostly a positive corsi player despite lugging around Lucic.

He could be an absolutely DEADLY 3rd line player similar to how Toffoli is scorching our division against the weaker matchups. It will give Tippett the ability to roll 3 lines without fear of getting carved.


Neal - McD - Kassian
Kahun - Drai - Puljujaarvi
Ennis - RNH - Yamamoto
Nygard - Turris - Shore

Top 6 isn't NEARLY as sexy, but they're not going to get thrashed in with McDrai still up there. He's a stat-padding luxury up there more than actually helping to contribute to wins.

We can still stack the top 2 lines situationally, but our depth problems can definitely be solved internally. We AREN'T getting depth help through a trade this season.

I might switch the wingers around a bit, RNH needs more beef on the LW if he's playing with Yamamoto...

but yeah... I like the concept. Why not give it a try. You could move Turris up with McD perhaps and have three lines (plus some hitting)

Turris - McD - Kassian
Kahun - Drai - Pulju
Neal - RNH - Yamamoto

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Being a one line team is a legit tactic in today's NHL. We need to at least try the DRY line to attempt to save the year.

After that has been run for a month and we continue to sink, sure let's try RNH on the third line.

I still don't understand why that line hasn't been reunited.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Being a one line team is a legit tactic in today's NHL. We need to at least try the DRY line to attempt to save the year.

After that has been run for a month and we continue to sink, sure let's try RNH on the third line.

The only thing I would say, is that this year is unlike any other year. Each game is scouted and deployed more like a playoff type game.

Depth is winning games right now.

The reason the top 3 teams are sitting where they are in our division, is their bottom 6.

Look who scored against us yesterday:
Spezza (4th Line)
Nylander (PP - Expired)
Simmonds - (3rd Line)
Matthews (PP)

Their previous game against Calgary:
Simmonds (3rd)
Matthews (PP)
Boyd (4th)
Marner (1st)

Previous game, Simmons scored another.

Before that, they got a goals from Thornton, Brooks, Vesey, Kerfoot.

Matthews is carrying around Hyman
Tavares is carrying around Mikheyev.



They can count on 1-2 goals a game from their depth.
We can count on 0.25 goals per game from our depth while bleeding goals against.

 

[Aerchon]

I still don't understand why that line hasn't been reunited.

There is no rational reason that line should not have been together since day 1 of camp. Besides pure Tippett stupid stubbornness.

There is absolutely no reason to this point besides the same X 10.

I can't believe we get to watch a season thrown away just because Tippett had his ego wounded in the play ins and is desperate to prove those that pointed out his stupidity wrong.

It's unbelievable and oh so Oilers.

PS: it's almost uncanny how much Oilers both the Holland and Tippett hire were. Holland especially was an old boys appointment that fit this organization to a glove. Another guy that knows a thing or two about winning who then hires an old dinosaur coach that would rather die doing what his gut tells him than what is staring him straight in the face.

Oilers management ALWAYS has to try it's hardest to be the smartest in the room. No matter how many times they end up with egg on their face they just keep on trying.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

There is no rational reason that line should not have been together since day 1 of camp. Besides pure Tippett stupid stubbornness.

There is absolutely no reason to this point besides the same X 10.

I can't believe we get to watch a season thrown away just because Tippett had his ego wounded in the play ins and is desperate to prove those that pointed out his stupidity wrong.

It's unbelievable and oh so Oilers.

PS: it's almost uncanny how much Oilers both the Holland and Tippett hire were. Holland especially was an old boys appointment that fit this organization to a glove. Another guy that knows a thing or two about winning who then hires an old dinosaur coach that would rather die doing what his gut tells him than what is staring him straight in the face.

Oilers management ALWAYS has to try it's hardest to be the smartest in the room. No matter how many times they end up with egg on their face they just keep on trying.

I still don't understand why that line hasn't been reunited.

The only issue I have with reuniting the DRY line, is that it means we're still going to try and outscore our problems.

It doesn't solve our broken bottom 6.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Our depth is getting absolutely carved right now.
Our bottom 6 are the suckiest sucks that ever sucked. Turris clearly isn't the answer.

We need to spread the suck to other lines, in hopes to get them going because our bottom 6 xGF is f***ing heinous where the top 2 are ridiculously stacked.

Has anyone else noticed our depth getting absolutely thrashed the second TMac converted RNH to wing?


Sure he adds a significant punch to our top 6, but man, we need help back there in a BIG way.
He's been mostly a positive corsi player despite lugging around Lucic.

He could be an absolutely DEADLY 3rd line player similar to how Toffoli is scorching our division against the weaker matchups. It will give Tippett the ability to roll 3 lines without fear of getting carved.


Neal - McD - Kassian
Kahun - Drai - Puljujaarvi
Ennis - RNH - Yamamoto
Nygard - Turris - Shore

Top 6 isn't NEARLY as sexy, but they're not going to get thrashed in with McDrai still up there. He's a stat-padding luxury up there more than actually helping to contribute to wins.

We can still stack the top 2 lines situationally, but our depth problems can definitely be solved internally. We AREN'T getting depth help through a trade this season.

Switch Kassian and puljujarvi.

I want to see drai and Kassian on a line

 

[Tobias Kahun]

The only issue I have with reuniting the DRY line, is that it means we're still going to try and outscore our problems.

It doesn't solve our broken bottom 6.

Out scoring our problems is better than laying over and losing consistently

 

[FlameChampion]

Our depth is getting absolutely carved right now.
Our bottom 6 are the suckiest sucks that ever sucked. Turris clearly isn't the answer.

We need to spread the suck to other lines, in hopes to get them going because our bottom 6 xGF is f***ing heinous where the top 2 are ridiculously stacked.

Has anyone else noticed our depth getting absolutely thrashed the second TMac converted RNH to wing?


Sure he adds a significant punch to our top 6, but man, we need help back there in a BIG way.
He's been mostly a positive corsi player despite lugging around Lucic.

He could be an absolutely DEADLY 3rd line player similar to how Toffoli is scorching our division against the weaker matchups. It will give Tippett the ability to roll 3 lines without fear of getting carved.


Neal - McD - Kassian
Kahun - Drai - Puljujaarvi
Ennis - RNH - Yamamoto
Nygard - Turris - Shore

Top 6 isn't NEARLY as sexy, but they're not going to get thrashed in with McDrai still up there. He's a stat-padding luxury up there more than actually helping to contribute to wins.

We can still stack the top 2 lines situationally, but our depth problems can definitely be solved internally. We AREN'T getting depth help through a trade this season.

I think you gotta do something. The bottom 6 has cost this team so many games.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

There is no rational reason that line should not have been together since day 1 of camp. Besides pure Tippett stupid stubbornness.

There is absolutely no reason to this point besides the same X 10.

I can't believe we get to watch a season thrown away just because Tippett had his ego wounded in the play ins and is desperate to prove those that pointed out his stupidity wrong.

It's unbelievable and oh so Oilers.

PS: it's almost uncanny how much Oilers both the Holland and Tippett hire were. Holland especially was an old boys appointment that fit this organization to a glove. Another guy that knows a thing or two about winning who then hires an old dinosaur coach that would rather die doing what his gut tells him than what is staring him straight in the face.

Oilers management ALWAYS has to try it's hardest to be the smartest in the room. No matter how many times they end up with egg on their face they just keep on trying.

DRY line ain't solving the goaltending problem...or the PK problem....or the AHL defense problem

they're scoring enough goals just fine

 

[Aerchon]

The only issue I have with reuniting the DRY line, is that it means we're still going to try and outscore our problems.

It doesn't solve our broken bottom 6.

When ever I see this i always think those saying this, and there are a lot, only watch Oilers hockey.

Kassian, Turris, Puljujarvi, Archibald, Neal, Chiasson, Kharia, Nygard, Haas, Benson, McLeod and Shore is seriously one of the most talented, experienced, goal scoring, PKing... Uber groups to draw from, it is unbelievable to me people say we have shit players in our bottom 6.

Imo it's one of the better bottom 6 in the league. It's embarrassing that Tippett can have such a plethora of talent/experience/scoring/youth to draw from and can accomplish nothing.

The bottom 6 problems start with Tippett and end with Tippett imo.

Look around the league and the bottom 6 of other teams and explain how they are better than what we can field. You will be very hard pressed. Many of the players you will have dig to even get an inkling that they are supposedly nhl players.

 

[Aerchon]

DRY line ain't solving the goaltending problem...or the PK problem....or the AHL defense problem

they're scoring enough goals just fine

Goaltending is self inflicted by Holland and of mentioned the least of our problems.

PK all Tippett.

Our defense was always going to be a big problem and still primarily on Tippett and Holland. As weak as it is. As our #1 problem by and large imo, it could/should be better managed. Aka we should be better than we are and DRY would help.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Goaltending is self inflicted by Holland and of mentioned the least of our problems.

PK all Tippett.

Our defense was always going to be a big problem and still primarily on Tippett and Holland. As weak as it is. As our #1 problem by and large imo, it could/should be better managed. Aka we should be better than we are and DRY would help.

not that much though

doesn't matter how much they score if the bottom 6 does nothing other than get scored on...they're literally bleeding goals each and every game

there are much bigger problems on this team then reuniting the DRY line

 

[Draiskull]

I think Turris needs to go 1 LW if Nuge is #3C.

 

[McDrai]

I agree with creating more depth... I would put Turris on McDavid's LW. The guy can't play center. Nuge can.

Turris-McDavid-Kassian
Kahun-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi
Ennis-RNH-Yamamoto
Neal-Haas-Archibald

 

[Ritchie Valens]

RNH can center the 3rd line alright. On another team.

 

[Draiskull]

RNH can center the 3rd line alright. On another team.

4G, 7pts and 22+ TOI\G says suck it hater.

Nuge even if he plays 3C would still be logging 20 mins\night after factoring in special teams

 

[Ritchie Valens]

4G, 7pts and 22+ TOI\G says suck it hater.

Nuge even if he plays 3C would still be logging 20 mins\night after factoring in special teams

There's more to it than points and TOI. He contributes next to nothing defensively and watches McDavid and JP do most of the heavy lifting on that line. And he thinks he should get a big pay raise.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

sticking McDavid with Neal and Kassian...woof.

 

[Draiskull]

There's more to it than points and TOI. He contributes next to nothing defensively and watches McDavid and JP do most of the heavy lifting on that line. And he thinks he should get a big pay raise.

fake news. RNH contributes more defensively than McDavid and does the heaviest lifting on his line defensively.
Not sure about the 2nd comment unless you are his agent or his wife. We dont know what he is thinking.

 

[Canovin]

Oilers are trying to be the leafs when they should be trying to be Pittsburgh.

Crosby-Malkin-Staal
McDavid-Drai-RNH