Player Discussion Ryan Strome

[Aerchon]

Strome really isn't fine though. He's another plug on a team full of them. The reason he doesn't stand out is because a) he doesn't do anything and b) the team is full of issues.

I get that cap savings needed to be had but why trade Eberle for a downgrade? Cap space is only as good as what you use it on and so far it's been good for the thing it's been used on: Nothing.

That cap space is useless until the trade deadline due to timing and circumstances. ELC bonus coverage takes up most of it as well.

Chiarelli, and literally every single hockey pundit I read this offseason, was confident the team could easily make the playoffs without confidentless Eberle.

Hindsight it's great to say woulda, coulda, shoulda, but literally no decent hockey mind at the time had any concerns. We projected to make the Stanley Cup Finals for crap sakes.

 

[fuswald]

I don't know how much value a 6th or 7th will have to this organization but I suppose it's something.



If Strome was brought in at 2.5 for 1 year as a UFA he would be fine, instead we gave up a decent asset for him and he's been a complete nothing. But yeah, let's blame McDavid. After all, without him, we'd be the first team in NHL history to finish 31st overall.

Seasons not over yet. Couple of spots to go and we can get in the record books.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

That cap space is useless until the trade deadline due to timing and circumstances. ELC bonus coverage takes up most of it as well.

Chiarelli, and literally every single hockey pundit I read this offseason, was confident the team could easily make the playoffs without confidentless Eberle.

Hindsight it's great to say woulda, coulda, shoulda, but literally no decent hockey mind at the time had any concerns. We projected to make the Stanley Cup Finals for crap sakes.

Great, well he'll have tons of cap space at the TDL to add players we need to make the jump to 28th place.

People overrated last year's team that was among other things, completely healthy. I said as much in the offseason that downgrading was not the way to go, especially in the last year of McDavid's ELC. If anything this was a year to make the big push and let the cap problems sort themselves out later.

The Oilers are the worst thing imaginable. They're a mediocre team (at best) with a myriad of cap issues. Every single bet Chiarelli made in the offseason is failing. I'd say this is the worst case scenario but having been a fan through the decade of darkness I know it can always get worse. 2/3 years of McDavid completely wasted and now he gets a ton more expensive.

 

[harpoon]

Chiarelli, and literally every single hockey pundit I read this offseason, was confident the team could easily make the playoffs without confidentless Eberle. Hindsight it's great to say woulda, coulda, shoulda, but literally no decent hockey mind at the time had any concerns. We projected to make the Stanley Cup Finals for crap sakes.

But you didn't believe any of that propaganda did you?

I agree with you that Strome is getting scapegoated by the op.
I also agree that he is far from the worst of the Oilers problems.
Further I agree that as far as expectations are concerned we need to look further up the lineup to find the guys that are letting the team down. Not sure I would name McDavid, but Draisaitl's half-hearted play is starting to concern me.
I do not and did not agree with any of the 'experts' or 'decent hockey minds' who thought the Oilers were Stanley Cup contenders.
In fact they should hand in their expert cards and find a new line of work.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I don't know how much value a 6th or 7th will have to this organization but I suppose it's something.

You'll get more then that.

 

[Soundwave]

They were not good enough for a Cup run this year unless the "add" was Karlsson. They are simply like the Avs, Flames, Panthers of years past, a young team that has a good season and regressed. It happens.

They are not the Pens or Hawks or Caps that take off like a rocket. Leafs look like they are in this category.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

You'll get more then that.

Normally I'd agree but given what we gave up to get Strome in the first place I have a hard time imagining a good deal here.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Normally I'd agree but given what we gave up to get Strome in the first place I have a hard time imagining a good deal here.

Not hard to imagine at all with no term left in his deal.

 

[Aerchon]

But you didn't believe any of that propaganda did you?

I agree with you that Strome is getting scapegoated by the op.
I also agree that he is far from the worst of the Oilers problems.
Further I agree that as far as expectations are concerned we need to look further up the lineup to find the guys that are letting the team down. Not sure I would name McDavid, but Draisaitl's half-hearted play is starting to concern me.
I do not and did not agree with any of the 'experts' or 'decent hockey minds' who thought the Oilers were Stanley Cup contenders.
In fact they should hand in their expert cards and find a new line of work.

The Poraganda that the Oilers would make the Stanley Cup Finals was over the top IMO. However in an wide open Pacific Division I had the Oilers making the top 3/playoffs. Even with Strome in and Eberle out + Sekera injured. There are far far worse line ups in the playoff picture right now.

Are you saying you really think you knew the Edmonton Oilers of last year were just lucky and we're doomed to fail this year... when everyone else didn't.

That's a load of Hubris.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The Poraganda that the Oilers would make the Stanley Cup Finals was over the top IMO. However in an wide open Pacific Division I had the Oilers making the top 3/playoffs. Even with Strome in and Eberle out + Sekera injured. There are far far worse line ups in the playoff picture right now.

Are you saying you really think you knew the Edmonton Oilers of last year were just lucky and we're doomed to fail this year... when everyone else didn't.

That's a load of Hubris.

I believed that the Oilers were a bit fortunate last year due to team health and a few players having career years. Rather than banking on that continuing, Chiarelli should've brought in some insurance for this team, even if he had to dig into his pocket and fork out some money. He gambled on plenty of unknowns and has lost them all. He also thought that the team could survive a lengthy injury to its second best defenseman and he thought poorly.

I don't understand the need to acquire cap space if you're not going to use it.

 

[harpoon]

Are you saying you really think you knew the Edmonton Oilers of last year were just lucky and we're doomed to fail this year... when everyone else didn't.

That's a load of Hubris.

Call it whatever you want. I absolutely knew they were lucky. Everything went right for them last season. Not a chance they were repeating that kind of golden fortune. And it wasn't 'everyone else'. There were other posters who voiced reservations. Nobody wanted to hear it. They just wanted to post at the swaggering Chiarelli meme and talk about how wonderful Caggiula and JP were going to be on a line with McDavid .

I expected them to make the playoffs obviously. The Stanley Cup/Presidents Trophy talk was a load of bull shit. And no, I didn't swallow it for a second.

 

[Little Fury]

Ignoring cap space requirements for the team moving forward is bizarre. It needed to be dealt with.

Not this season, the last where 97 is cheap.

Eberle publicly stated he had no confidence in himself while playing here. His regular season wasn't bad but his playoffs were.

If that was the straw that broke the camel's back for the gM, he's dumber than I thought.

Some extremely bizarre logic to think that a confidentless Eberle over Strome would be the solution to the Oilers problems this year. Think it's safe to agree with the "death by a thousand cuts" line Chiarelli used but for me goaltending has absolutely moved into the biggest deepest cuts overall. Something Eberle just wouldn't help with.

Eberle wouldn't solve what ails the Oilers but he'd be an improvement on Strome. That's all anyone is saying.

I also have you point out you agree with me that Strome is fine. People in this thread are trashing a player that does not deserve it to promote other beefs/agenda.

There's that word, agenda, again. Why do people use it? Makes no sense.

It's kind of sick and twisted to attack a player in the exact way that got the last player run out of town

Eberle was a good soldier and contributor for this team for a long time. What's Strome done to earn the respect of this fanbase?

 

[Drivesaitl]

Call it whatever you want. I absolutely knew they were lucky. Everything went right for them last season. Not a chance they were repeating that kind of golden fortune. And it wasn't 'everyone else'. There were other posters who voiced reservations. Nobody wanted to hear it. They just wanted to post at the swaggering Chiarelli meme and talk about how wonderful Caggiula and JP were going to be on a line with McDavid .

I expected them to make the playoffs obviously. The Stanley Cup/Presidents Trophy talk was a load of bull ****. And no, I didn't swallow it for a second.

Its interesting that posters are "Debbie downers, negative for the sake of it, and are you even fans" and summarily derided for stating the obvious and then in retrospect the predictable "nobody ever said these things or predicted these things" occurs to further obfuscate.

Well, the concerns weren't listened to, that's what it reduces to.

Or that its a meme fanboard with the recall of a Simpsons episode.

 

[Aerchon]

I believed that the Oilers were a bit fortunate last year due to team health and a few players having career years. Rather than banking on that continuing, Chiarelli should've brought in some insurance for this team, even if he had to dig into his pocket and fork out some money. He gambled on plenty of unknowns and has lost them all. He also thought that the team could survive a lengthy injury to its second best defenseman and he thought poorly.

I don't understand the need to acquire cap space if you're not going to use it.

I had a good response to this in another thread. Too bad I couldn't have that set as a favorite response to save on repeating myself.

Cap space was opened for various reasons. As well as the team wanting you move on from Eberle and fill the 3C spot potentially. Caguillia sucked at it and Desharnais was gone.

Saying "he shoulda replaced Sekera" just does not make sense. It's just weird to even think that way.

#1 who is available that can replace Sekera. Answer: no one.

#2 if there was someone available, there isn't I would bet an incredible amount of money on that, how much would it cost? Answer: At the time Nurse to start + ??? Top 2/3 defenders are incredibly expenses to get.

#3 Our cap space is only for this year and isn't as much as thought because of ELC bonuses. How do you use cap space that is only available for one year? Answer: almost all good to great players are either already signed for longer than one year or will only sign for more than one year. One year contracts are for long shots and washouts. So you can't.

Your living in a sports fantasy league if you really think Chiarelli had options to replace Sekera for the months he is out.

 

[harpoon]

Its interesting that posters are "Debbie downers, negative for the sake of it, and are you even fans" and summarily derided for stating the obvious and then in retrospect the predictable "nobody ever said these things or predicted these things" occurs to further obfuscate.

Well, the concerns weren't listened to, that's what it reduces to.

Or that its a meme fanboard with the recall of a Simpsons episode.

Quoted for truth. But don't panic man. We are only thirty games into the season.
Sample size. Or something.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I had a good response to this in another thread. Too bad I couldn't have that set as a favorite response to save on repeating myself.

Cap space was opened for various reasons. As well as the team wanting you move on from Eberle and fill the 3C spot potentially. Caguillia sucked at it and Desharnais was gone.

Saying "he shoulda replaced Sekera" just does not make sense. It's just weird to even think that way.

#1 who is available that can replace Sekera. Answer: no one.

#2 if there was someone available, there isn't I would bet an incredible amount of money on that, how much would it cost? Answer: At the time Nurse to start + ??? Top 2/3 defenders are incredibly expenses to get.

#3 Our cap space is only for this year and isn't as much as thought because of ELC bonuses. How do you use cap space that is only available for one year? Answer: almost all good to great players are either already signed for longer than one year or will only sign for more than one year. One year contracts are for long shots and washouts.

Your living in a sports fantasy league if you really think Chiarelli had options to replace Sekera for the months he is out.

We HAVE a 3C. In fact center is the only position the Oilers are actually deep at. McDavid/Draisatl/RNH/Letestu is completely fine for your four centers. We didn't need Strome, we needed scoring wingers, something which we are now lacking.

Obviously you can't completely replace Sekera but doing nothing was the worst thing you could've done. There wasn't a chance in hell that Benning would be an adequate top 4 D this year. Another failed gamble. And with Larsson out for God knows how long our defense is AHL caliber at best. Even last year the Oilers were not deep on defense and could not afford an injury, let alone two, to their top 4 d-men.

We currently have ~7 million in cap space that hasn't scored a single goal, blocked a single shot, or made a single save. At this rate we won't have to worry about any ELC bonuses. We won't have to worry about anything because we're already out of the f***ing playoff picture before Christmas.

Chiarelli's gameplan in the offseason is completely inexcusable. And we're seeing the best talent in the world completely wasted on a shitty roster.

 

[Aerchon]

Everyone knew Strome was a downgrade on Eberle. Everyone.

The Oilers got flexibility down the middle, term, and cap space in exchange for talent.

Especially in this thread Eberle's value and the trade in general should not be factors in evaluating Stromes value to the team/play.

I'm sure Strome wants to be putting up more points but is still playing relatively well. He is certainly a better center than Eberle and far better defensively as well.

 

[CupofOil]

Its interesting that posters are "Debbie downers, negative for the sake of it, and are you even fans" and summarily derided for stating the obvious and then in retrospect the predictable "nobody ever said these things or predicted these things" occurs to further obfuscate.

Well, the concerns weren't listened to, that's what it reduces to.

Or that its a meme fanboard with the recall of a Simpsons episode.

Nobody predicted that they would be THIS bad or even close to. Not even the biggest skeptics saw this coming.
There were posters who saw some red flags with the roster downgrades, Sekera injury and unsustainable luck from last season but nobody predicted that the fall would be this abrupt.

Me personally, I fully expected a step back and thought the Vegas Odds and all the premier Stanley Cup prognostications were ridiculous. I figured that they'd be roughly a 95 point team in the mix for 2nd or 3rd in the division but would have trouble dealing with the raised expectations. Just like last season was a perfect storm of fortune, this season is a perfect storm of misfortune.

Also, I don't think Chia's inactivity this offseason is the main reason for the downfall, I don't think the Eberle to Strome downgrade has had a profound effect on team results. There are roster flaws but I feel there's a bigger issue between the ears with these players. Maybe they read too much into their preseason press clippings and figured they could cruise through the season? I really don't know but I do think it's more mental than anything else with this group.

 

[harpoon]

I had a good response to this in another thread.

You call that a 'good response'.
Cap space was opened 'for various reasons'. Sekera 'couldn't be replaced'.
Yeesh, no wonder you are so happy with Chiarelli.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Everyone knew Strome was a downgrade on Eberle. Everyone.

The Oilers got flexibility down the middle, term, and cap space in exchange for talent.

Especially in this thread Eberle's value and the trade in general should not be factors in evaluating Stromes value to the team/play.

I'm sure Strome wants to be putting up more points but is still playing relatively well. He is certainly a better center than Eberle and far better defensively as well.

And all of those mean absolutely nothing when he's not producing, nor is the cap space that came with him. Whenever the third line is on the ice I look away from the TV.

 

[Aerchon]

We HAVE a 3C. In fact center is the only position the Oilers are actually deep at. McDavid/Draisatl/RNH/Letestu is completely fine for your four centers. We didn't need Strome, we needed scoring wingers, something which we are now lacking.

Obviously you can't completely replace Sekera but doing nothing was the worst thing you could've done. There wasn't a chance in hell that Benning would be an adequate top 4 D this year. Another failed gamble. And with Larsson out for God knows how long our defense is AHL caliber at best. Even last year the Oilers were not deep on defense and could not afford an injury, let alone two, to their top 4 d-men.

We currently have ~7 million in cap space that hasn't scored a single goal, blocked a single shot, or made a single save. At this rate we won't have to worry about any ELC bonuses. We won't have to worry about anything because we're already out of the ****ing playoff picture before Christmas.

Chiarelli's gameplan in the offseason is completely inexcusable. And we're seeing the best talent in the world completely wasted on a ****ty roster.

McDavid, this year even more than last year, is more a winger than center. He obviously has far more success when Leon does a lot of the heavy lifting at the center position.

We realistically have 5 centers on our team. 3 very good but it's not as cut and dry as you make it seem.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

McDavid, this year even more than last year, is more a winger than center. He obviously has far more success when Leon does a lot of the heavy lifting at the center position.

We realistically have 5 centers on our team. 3 very good but it's not as cut and dry as you make it seem.

If the Oilers are ever to be successful they need McDavid/Draisatl centering their own lines. They can't be paying Leon 8.5/yr to be McDavid's wingman. They really didn't need Strome for any reason.

 

[Aerchon]

You call that a 'good response'.
Cap space was opened 'for various reasons'. Sekera 'couldn't be replaced'.
Yeesh, no wonder you are so happy with Chiarelli.

Lol, so he says without providing any of his own reasoning.

Cap space: ELC bonuses. Leons contract negotiations + potential offer sheet + his actual contract. Getting some value for a very obviously unhappy declining asset.

No one can replace Sekera is a very valid and common sense response.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Lol, so he says without providing any of his own reasoning.

Cap space: ELC bonuses. Leons contract negotiations + potential offer sheet + his actual contract. Getting some value for a very obviously unhappy declining asset.

No one can replace Sekera is a very valid and common sense response.

Well you're right about one thing, no one replaced Sekera. And now our defense is awful.

And the offer sheet is such a boogeyman. Calgary waited the entire summer to make a deal with Gaudreau and his deal is really solid.

 

[McDoused]

I really like Strome as a 3rd line center. Having McDavid, RNH, Strome and Letestu down the middle is better than most teams. It's definitely playoff worthy.