Speculation: 11 games in who have been our top 5 players?

[thadd]

11 games in which 5 Oilers have been the best hockey players?

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[Aceboogie]

McDavid



Talbot
RNH
Yak
Hall

 

[Aerrol]

McDavid



Talbot
RNH
Yak
Hall

Yup. Agree with this.

 

[thadd]

I could see some people picking Nurse because he's brought a lot of what we need, but he's only played 2 games so far.

At the same time I can see some people not voting for Hall and Hopkins.

Hall started off rough as he proved he and McDavid were not an instant match, but nobody has accused Hall of taking a shift off and his production has gone back to what we're used to since he was put back onto a line with Hopkins.

As for Hopkins, I think he's been a beast. He gets a lot of hard match-ups and his stick work has improved.

 

[oilwave]

McDavid



Talbot
RNH
Yak
Hall

Yep this

 

[McDraekke]

I could see some people picking Nurse because he's brought a lot of what we need, but he's only played 2 games so far.

At the same time I can see some people not voting for Hall and Hopkins.

Hall started off rough as he proved he and McDavid were not an instant match, but nobody has accused Hall of taking a shift off and his production has gone back to what we're used to since he was put back onto a line with Hopkins.

As for Hopkins, I think he's been a beast. He gets a lot of hard match-ups and his stick work has improved.

I picked Nurse. I'm basing it on "per game basis." Nurse has had two VERY good games. I chose Hall, but I should have picked RNH instead.

McDavid
Yakupov
Talbot
RNH
Nurse

This is my list of best players so far.

 

[doulos]

McDavid



Talbot
RNH
Yak
Hall

Exactly how I see it as well.

 

[thadd]

I picked Nurse. I'm basing it on "per game basis." Nurse has had two VERY good games. I chose Hall, but I should have picked RNH instead.

McDavid
Yakupov
Talbot
RNH
Nurse

This is my list of best players so far.

Nobody can blame you. I think a lot of people are expecting a lot out of Nurse, but I think 80% of those people aren't expecting it this year.

The fact that he's on a 2 game scoring streak and has played so well so far is one of the best things that could have possibly happened to the Oilers at this point in the season.

He's played so well that you could actually afford to limit Schultz's minutes when he comes back. (assuming Nurse doesn't slump hard)

 

[McDraekke]

Whoever just voted and didn't vote Yakupov isn't watching the same games as everyone else.

 

[Spawn]

McDavid
RNH
Hall
Yak
Talbot

No order other than McDavid #1. He's the best offensive player on the team. Honestly he's been the best overall player on the team.

Been mildly underwhelmed to various degrees at times with RNH and Hall. But there's no questioning that they've been 2 of the teams top 5 players, largely because there has been a lot of really disappointing performances this year (the entire bottom 6, all of the d-men) and it would be ignorant to ignore that they've spent the start of the year with a rotating group of 4th liners on their right wing.

Yak is probably playing the best hockey of his career. He's really improved his two-way game to a level that he's never demonstrated before in his career. Even last year when he was lighting it up with Roy, that line was an absolute disaster in it's own end. The Pou-McDavid-Yak line is still high event, but Yakupov is so much more composed in his own zone and in the neutral zone. He's making so many simple smart plays this year and really gets what he needs to know with McDavid.

Talbot has been good. He was incredible the first handful of games. Has come back down to earth a little bit the last couple of games. Would like to see him make one or two more big saves.

Left out Nurse who has been really good. But it's been two games. Will need to re-evaluate again in a month or so.

 

[Tarus]

Mcdavid

Hall
Talbot

Yakupov
Pouliot

Would be nice if there was a defenseman worthy of being selected, but the defense as a whole has been largely underwhelming, and a major contributor to the team's poor start. Hopefully one of the D steps up and makes a case for a top 5 player on the team by the 22 game mark, or a 4 and 7 start will morph into an 8 and 14 lost season.

 

[GMofOilers]

I actually thought Sekera was terrible the first couple games but hes been really solid and a staple for us since.

McDavid
Hall
Yak
Talbot
Sekera

 

[Mcnofool6110]

McD
Yak
Hall
Talbot

And a shout out to the only decent MacT decision, Benoit Pouliot. He's running a 5 game scoring streak and really ties the line together.

Also, shout out to Hendricks and Korpikoski, our best bottom 6ers.

No shoutouts to the d core. They all got outplayed by Nurse in two games.

 

[thadd]

McDavid
RNH
Hall
Yak
Talbot

No order other than McDavid #1. Been mildly underwhelmed to various degrees at times with RNH and Hall. But there's no questioning that they've been 2 of the teams top 5 players, and it would be ignorant to ignore that they've spent the start of the year with a rotating group of 4th liners on their right wing.

Left out Nurse who has been really good. But it's been two games. Will need to re-evaluate again in a month or so.

I think it's easy for a lot of people to ignore that fact.

Who have they had? Remind me if I leave one out.

Drai, Paka, Purcell, Hendricks, Miller and Klinkhammer.
I think I got them all. That's 6 guys and Hall/Hopkins haven't even been together for 11 games, correct?
(No Eberle. Eberle/Hopkins was playing with Pouliot the whole time, right?)

 

[thadd]

McD
Yak
Hall
Talbot

And a shout out to the only decent MacT decision, Benoit Pouliot. He's running a 5 game scoring streak and really ties the line together.

Also, shout out to Hendricks and Korpikoski, our best bottom 6ers.

No shoutouts to the d core. They all got outplayed by Nurse in two games.

Funny how Pouliot looked perfect with Hoppkins and Eberle last year. Then once Eberle got hurt he didn't really work for the Hopkins line and now he's against putting up the best offensive numbers of his career again playing with McDavid and Yakupov.

Seems like a really coachable player. Skates well for a big guy and goes to the net every time you want him to.

 

[McIce Whole]

Both goaltenders get my vote. Upfront, Mcdavid, Hall and Yak. No one on D has impressed me enough to give them a vote. Nurse is looking good though.

 

[Spawn]

I think it's easy for a lot of people to ignore that fact.

Who have they had? Remind me if I leave one out.

Drai, Paka, Purcell, Hendricks, Miller and Klinkhammer.
I think I got them all. That's 6 guys and Hall/Hopkins haven't even been together for 11 games, correct?
(No Eberle. Eberle/Hopkins was playing with Pouliot the whole time, right?)

A bit of time with Slepyshev too I believe.

 

[thadd]

Both goaltenders get my vote. Upfront, Mcdavid, Hall and Yak. No one on D has impressed me enough to give them a vote. Too small of a sample to judge Nurse but he's looking good.

I think that we can say that Sekera, Schultz and Klefbom have played well in some areas, but have disappointed some of us fans on other areas to some degree that has them further down the chart here.

 

[McDrai]

McDavid, Talbot, Hall, Nurse, Yakupov

 

[nexttothemoon]

Can we just pick McDavid 5 times?

I can't even imagine how bad this team would be without McDavid in the lineup this year.

Yak and Pouliot wouldn't have as many pts as they do... and all opposing teams would have to do is concentrate on Hall-RNH and the team would be shut down completely.

They'd likely have a couple wins in their first 20 games.

 

[thadd]

A bit of time with Slepyshev too I believe.

So we're saying that Hopkins has played with 8 right wingers in 11 games?

Is that a record for an Oilers' 1st line center?

Seriously... has there ever been a season where we've seen our first line center play with 8 different players on the right wing?

Also I think we could technically make it 9 since Pouliot did play a short period of time on the right wing with Hopkins and Hall. Don't know if that was for a whole game, though.

 

[The Nuge]

Funny how Pouliot looked perfect with Hoppkins and Eberle last year. Then once Eberle got hurt he didn't really work for the Hopkins line and now he's against putting up the best offensive numbers of his career again playing with McDavid and Yakupov.

Seems like a really coachable player. Skates well for a big guy and goes to the net every time you want him to.

I think adaptable is a good word for Pouliot. He knows he's the #3 guy on the line, so he just does whatever will help the other 2

 

[pox]

McDavid
YAK
Hall
RNH
Pouliot

 

[Aerrol]

I think adaptable is a good word for Pouliot. He knows he's the #3 guy on the line, so he just does whatever will help the other 2

I also like the term 'plug and play' for him. He seems perfectly fine wherever we throw him in the lineup. Kind of like Dupuis or Kunitz before they got old and bad.

 

[McIce Whole]

I think that we can say that Sekera, Schultz and Klefbom have played well in some areas, but have disappointed some of us fans on other areas to some degree that has them further down the chart here.

No doubt. Mcdavid, Hall, Yak, Pou, Hendricks and our goaltenders are the only ones I am confident in. Sekera, Klef and Nuge need to be better. Schultz has improved a lot but still too inconsistent for my liking.