2018 Cup predictions

[illpucks]

Have you ever watched Crosby play? There isn't a more motivated player in the league with the will to win....

Oh, for sure Sid is the most motivated guy but even him, when they asked him about a 3-peat, he didn't sound that motivated. He said that's obviously the goal but you could tell that he's pretty satisfied with his back to back cups.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

I think Pittsburgh makes it back and the Hawks make a return.
Or Tampa Bay vs Anaheim.

Not gonna be Tampa, unless we pull some crazy ****.

 

[Hackett]

The Oilers will not sniff the Final with Talbot in goal. Again, he's not a bad goaltender, but he's not the guy to get you there. And if they play the Pens (& we are healthy), we will smoke them....

Talbot is good enough. You don't need the best goalies to win a cup, you just need competency, and I believe he can provide that.

With Mcdavid and draisaitl at center, the oilers are built around a blueprint that works. I don't know if it's next year, but it's hard to believe that it's not coming at some point as long as they are around.

 

[edog37]

Oh, for sure Sid is the most motivated guy but even him, when they asked him about a 3-peat, he didn't sound that motivated. He said that's obviously the goal but you could tell that he's pretty satisfied with his back to back cups.

That's typical Sid. He's not the kind of guy who will ever say something controversial. With his concussion history, he will never take playing & competing in the NHL for granted. Trust me, he's motivated....

 

[edog37]

Talbot is good enough. You don't need the best goalies to win a cup, you just need competency, and I believe he can provide that.

With Mcdavid and draisaitl at center, the oilers are built around a blueprint that works. I don't know if it's next year, but it's hard to believe that it's not coming at some point as long as they are around.

You need more than center to get to the Cup Final & win it. You need solid 3rd & 4th lines & defensemen who can get the pucks out of your zone quickly...

Talbot isn't good enough. I'm not saying you need Jacque Plante back there, but you need better than Cam Talbot...

The Oilers will be a contender in the near future, but I think that future is still 2 years off...

 

[GordieHowsUrBreath]

pens will 3peat over the ducks

funny to see kings fans bring their delusional bias into this thread, i hope the kings come out of the west just so the pens can curbstomp them

though more than likely the kings will have a lottery pick

 

[Talon70]

pens will 3peat over the ducks

funny to see kings fans bring their delusional bias into this thread, i hope the kings come out of the west just so the pens can curbstomp them

though more than likely the kings will have a lottery pick

Your jealousy of the Kings Cup teams is apparent. Instead of rejoicing the Pens Cup victories, you're here hating on the Kings. Lose the ********, it'll make moving forward easier. That said the Pens can't beat the Kings, even an injured Kings team. The Pens are 0-4 against the Kings the last two years, they ain't curbstopping the Kings.

 

[Razz]

One of the Oilers, Leafs and Pens for me. The Era of speed and high octane offense is upon us.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

Pens will 3peat because of uncle Gary, nbc, and refs.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

If Pittsburgh reaches the finals again, I will be super-bored.

We need two new teams to battle it out now.

 

[illpucks]

Caps will take out the Pens if they meet. Scary Barry or not, they will break through.

 

[GordieHowsUrBreath]

Your jealousy of the Kings Cup teams is apparent. Instead of rejoicing the Pens Cup victories, you're here hating on the Kings. Lose the ********, it'll make moving forward easier. That said the Pens can't beat the Kings, even an injured Kings team. The Pens are 0-4 against the Kings the last two years, they ain't curbstopping the Kings.

the kings stink, they don't deserve to be on the same cup as the pens and if bylsma and shero weren't total clowns they never would've been on it in the first place

not hating, just telling it how it is

that 0 - 4 record is all you king fans can be proud about for a long time

 

[KCC]

You need more than center to get to the Cup Final & win it. You need solid 3rd & 4th lines & defensemen who can get the pucks out of your zone quickly...

Talbot isn't good enough. I'm not saying you need Jacque Plante back there, but you need better than Cam Talbot...

The Oilers will be a contender in the near future, but I think that future is still 2 years off...

Well yeah, of course EDM isn't quite there yet. They took a big stride and it's up to Chiarelli to add more as time goes on. I also think it'll take a few years as well.

As for Talbot, what exactly are you basing this on as to why you think he's not good enough? You have to give your reason. Saying "he's not good enough" is not valid. He had the most wins ever by an Oilers goaltender this past season. Next to McDavid he was the MVP. Short of EDM winning the cup there wasn't any more he could do. As long as he can stay and compete at a high level he is absolutely capable of being the one to help guide the team to a cup.

 

[MCDAVIDISH]

Well yeah, of course EDM isn't quite there yet. They took a big stride and it's up to Chiarelli to add more as time goes on. I also think it'll take a few years as well.

As for Talbot, what exactly are you basing this on as to why you think he's not good enough? You have to give your reason. Saying "he's not good enough" is not valid. He had the most wins ever by an Oilers goaltender this past season. Next to McDavid he was the MVP. Short of EDM winning the cup there wasn't any more he could do. As long as he can stay and compete at a high level he is absolutely capable of being the one to help guide the team to a cup.

I don't think Oilers are going to win the cup next year and there's a lot we still need to take care of.... however I get riled up when I hear people saying it's cause Talbot is not good enough. I think he was the best player on the team all year... ahead of McDavid. Talbot is an unreal goalie and I garuntee people bashing him didn't watch a lick of him all year.

 

[Hackett]

You need more than center to get to the Cup Final & win it. You need solid 3rd & 4th lines & defensemen who can get the pucks out of your zone quickly...

Talbot isn't good enough. I'm not saying you need Jacque Plante back there, but you need better than Cam Talbot...

The Oilers will be a contender in the near future, but I think that future is still 2 years off...

Well, they got a generational center, and they have used Draisaitl in that spot as well but I don't know what their long term plans are for him. Potentially, they are set at centre for a long time, which can mask other faults within the team relatively well. I don't worry about 3rd and 4th lines too much. They are easier to fill out effectively, but you can go decades without a premier center.

As for Talbot, we just have to agree to disagree. I assess competency based on whether the goalie gives you a chance to win, and he tends to provide that type of goaltending when I watch him. His numbers are decent as well especially when you consider that the Oilers played him way too much. The oilers logged the most travel out of any team, and they expect their goalie to start 73 regular season games? Crazy.

I don't necessarily disagree with you that next year is not their year. They need the stars to align a little bit for that to happen, and I don't think they're at the point where they can clearly separate themselves from the Nashvilles and Anaheims.... but they're coming.

 

[TheTechNoir]

I say Dallas Stars.

 

[TheTechNoir]

the kings stink, they don't deserve to be on the same cup as the pens and if bylsma and shero weren't total clowns they never would've been on it in the first place

not hating, just telling it how it is

that 0 - 4 record is all you king fans can be proud about for a long time

Strange how a team that sucks won the cup multiple times. Wow. There was literally no good teams in the world those years, huh? The NHL is the best league. And the cup winner of the best league was a bad team. Yikes. Imagine how bad teams who finished in rd 2 were, LOL!

 

[Mathew Barzal]

Anaheim Ducks.

I hope Steel cracks the roster and wins the Calder.

 

[edog37]

Well yeah, of course EDM isn't quite there yet. They took a big stride and it's up to Chiarelli to add more as time goes on. I also think it'll take a few years as well.

As for Talbot, what exactly are you basing this on as to why you think he's not good enough? You have to give your reason. Saying "he's not good enough" is not valid. He had the most wins ever by an Oilers goaltender this past season. Next to McDavid he was the MVP. Short of EDM winning the cup there wasn't any more he could do. As long as he can stay and compete at a high level he is absolutely capable of being the one to help guide the team to a cup.

He's just not the type of guy who can get a team to the Final & win it based on the current roster. I didn't say he sucked, only that he's a slightly above average goalie. He could go Corey Crawford if he had a great blue line in front him, but right now, no.

 

[edog37]

Well, they got a generational center, and they have used Draisaitl in that spot as well but I don't know what their long term plans are for him. Potentially, they are set at centre for a long time, which can mask other faults within the team relatively well. I don't worry about 3rd and 4th lines too much. They are easier to fill out effectively, but you can go decades without a premier center.

As for Talbot, we just have to agree to disagree. I assess competency based on whether the goalie gives you a chance to win, and he tends to provide that type of goaltending when I watch him. His numbers are decent as well especially when you consider that the Oilers played him way too much. The oilers logged the most travel out of any team, and they expect their goalie to start 73 regular season games? Crazy.

I don't necessarily disagree with you that next year is not their year. They need the stars to align a little bit for that to happen, and I don't think they're at the point where they can clearly separate themselves from the Nashvilles and Anaheims.... but they're coming.

Edmonton's bottom 6 isn't good enough for them to challenge just yet. And you have to have those guys also. There are points in the playoffs when your top guys are just getting blanketed & your bottom 6 has to win it. Every Cup winner has that element to it. Plus, Edmonton's blue line is a little suspect also.

They are coming that is true, but consider it took Crosby 4 years to get to the Cup Final, Mario took 7. It takes awhile to get everything aligned....

Also, Todd McLellan isn't the right coach to get it done either. He's a great assistant, but a marginal head coach....

 

[Semantics]

Oilers vs. Leafs in the final, could go either way.

 

[Caps8112]

Might as well have the hawks Pens final next season to decide the supreme ruler of the universe.

Honestly west is wide open with many good teams.

east is Pitt. Dont see anyone beating them if they keep the roster intact and healthy. Plus getting Letang back is like a SC Champion trading for a top 5 D the following season and giving up nothing to get that player.

watched most of pitts games this past playoffs and its the old hated cliche, "that team knows how to win" and they knew how to "bend but not break". Absolute great team with great leadership.

Pens with the 3 peat. Are there any teams left in the west that havent made the finals before?

 

[bestmyfeeling]

Edmonton's bottom 6 isn't good enough for them to challenge just yet. And you have to have those guys also. There are points in the playoffs when your top guys are just getting blanketed & your bottom 6 has to win it. Every Cup winner has that element to it. Plus, Edmonton's blue line is a little suspect also.

They are coming that is true, but consider it took Crosby 4 years to get to the Cup Final, Mario took 7. It takes awhile to get everything aligned....

Also, Todd McLellan isn't the right coach to get it done either. He's a great assistant, but a marginal head coach....

TIL 3rd place coach in the voting of expert NHL analysts is a marginal head coach and should be an assistant instead, presumably to the 8th place coach

.....yup

 

[edog37]

TIL 3rd place coach in the voting of expert NHL analysts is a marginal head coach and should be an assistant instead, presumably to the 8th place coach

.....yup

How did all those years in San Jose pan out again?

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

How did all those years in San Jose pan out again?

Considering his current team just beat that team in the playoffs maybe it wasn't the coach's fault?

McLellan's holding the Oilers back, Talbot's holding them back, Chiarelli's holding them back... Is there anyone else not named McDavid holding the Oilers back?