Prospect Info: 2018 Draft: 1st pick: Evan Bouchard (D) - Sent back to London (11/02/18)

[Hopelesslucicfan]

The season was over in September, it's just a matter of actually playing it out now.

When things begin to look grim, just give up. Words to live by!

 

[Senor Catface]

The Oilers are in a playoff spot right now and I think it would be a significant stretch to say the absolutely EVERYTHING has gone right this year.

No kidding. As per usual, super poor analysis by who you quoted.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

When things begin to look grim, just give up. Words to live by!

Seems like many are always looking for a reason to confirm this reality, so if you just treat it as the reality, it's simpler.

 

[Hopelesslucicfan]

Seems like many are always looking for a reason to confirm this reality, so if you just treat it as the reality, it's simpler.

I mean, it's hard not to criticize when this teams giving no reason to believe in the past 10+ years, but when we're currently in a playoff spot with arguably the worst part of the schedule behind us, and a winning record with the new coach, there really hasn't been a worse time to just give up.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I mean, it's hard not to criticize when this teams giving no reason to believe in the past 10+ years, but when we're currently in a playoff spot with arguably the worst part of the schedule behind us, and a winning record with the new coach, there really hasn't been a worse time to just give up.

Again, if you just understand that the season was over in September, then you can just be correct when the team fail or surprised if they don't. People will get fired, some have already, we just have to wait.

 

[nabob]

It's true. However, unsurprisingly, this also coincided with our goalies having a .960+ save%. Let's see how things work when you goalies aren't playing at a Vezina-level.

"Show me the team with the best goalie, and I will show you the best coach in the league", and Most coaches get fired during the season because their goalies stink

Obviously goaltending is the most important factor in winning. We went 100 games with some of the worstvstarting goaltending in the league and we saw how that worked out. Now Chia has signed a goalie who by all viewings looks like the real deal. Do wins only count if your goaltending is average? Sometimes they’ll be winning because Chia’sson scores two goals, or McDavid has a 5 point night or because Nurse has a two point night. There will always be reasons to try and knock them down and invalidate a winning record.

Why not just embrace that the team as a whole is playing well and they are winning enough games to be considered a good team.

 

[nabob]

The season was over in September, it's just a matter of actually playing it out now.

I haven’t read the entire thread so I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not.

I betting you said the same thing in 16/17?

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I haven’t read the entire thread so I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not.

I betting you said the same thing in 16/17?

Don't really understand this. It's not sarcasm, it's just the reality as present here.

Also, I'm looking very forward to watching Bouchard be a beast and an anchor for Canada at the WJHC.

 

[nabob]

Don't really understand this. It's not sarcasm, it's just the reality as present here.

Also, I'm looking very forward to watching Bouchard be a beast and an anchor for Canada at the WJHC.

Ok so it’s your reality. Which would be different than actual reality where the team is in a playoff spot and trending up.

 

[McJadeddog]

No kidding. As per usual, super poor analysis by who you quoted.

Again, lets have this conversation when the year is over.

 

[McJadeddog]

Obviously goaltending is the most important factor in winning. We went 100 games with some of the worstvstarting goaltending in the league and we saw how that worked out. Now Chia has signed a goalie who by all viewings looks like the real deal. Do wins only count if your goaltending is average? Sometimes they’ll be winning because Chia’sson scores two goals, or McDavid has a 5 point night or because Nurse has a two point night. There will always be reasons to try and knock them down and invalidate a winning record.

Why not just embrace that the team as a whole is playing well and they are winning enough games to be considered a good team.

I agree that you win with tending and lose with tending. 2 points counts whether it was your goalie that got you the win, or McDavid. Goalies are part of the team, and many teams have ridden hot goalies to a great season.

My point is that the team hasn't looked different since Hitchcock took over, other than goaltending. The original point that I was arguing against was that we are a better team since Hitch took over, and that is only true of the goaltending. The rest of the team has been pretty much exactly the same to be honest. So I'm not willing to say that our improved record since Hitch took over has anything to do with his coaching style, unless you believe that his coaching style somehow makes Koskinen play like a vezina-caliber tender. But I'm sure nobody believes that.

 

[McJadeddog]

Ok so it’s your reality. Which would be different than actual reality where the team is in a playoff spot and trending up.

The team isn't trending up, we are trending down actually right now. We have had "mortal" goal tending the past few games and lost 2 in a row. We also have 2 of our top-4 Dmen injured right now. No idea how anybody could say that the team is trending up right now.

We are playing slightly better hockey than we did last year, I'll give you that. It is a very small improvement though, so I'm not exactly dancing in the streets or anything.

Another mediocre season was expected though, which is what Jimmi is referencing. No secondary scoring, tight against the cap, the Sekera injury, and no offensive help on the way (outside of Bouchard I suppose). There were a lot of reasons to not look forward to this season. Most of those reasons have turned out to be accurate, but not all of them.

I've said it a hundred time, and it is still true. When we signed McDavid/Drai to those massive contracts, we were very unlikely to compete until the back-half of the contracts. The Lucic albatross is hurting us as well. Until we have some cap room to fill out the roster with secondary scoring, we aren't going to be able to compete. This likely won't be able to happen until after next year, in the 2020-21 season.

 

[Aerchon]

The team isn't trending up, we are trending down actually right now. We have had "mortal" goal tending the past few games and lost 2 in a row. We also have 2 of our top-4 Dmen injured right now. No idea how anybody could say that the team is trending up right now.

We are playing slightly better hockey than we did last year, I'll give you that. It is a very small improvement though, so I'm not exactly dancing in the streets or anything.

Another mediocre season was expected though, which is what Jimmi is referencing. No secondary scoring, tight against the cap, the Sekera injury, and no offensive help on the way (outside of Bouchard I suppose). There were a lot of reasons to not look forward to this season. Most of those reasons have turned out to be accurate, but not all of them.

I've said it a hundred time, and it is still true. When we signed McDavid/Drai to those massive contracts, we were very unlikely to compete until the back-half of the contracts. The Lucic albatross is hurting us as well. Until we have some cap room to fill out the roster with secondary scoring, we aren't going to be able to compete. This likely won't be able to happen until after next year, in the 2020-21 season.

Cap is going up and up far more than I ever imagined.

A lil luck with some of our prospects. Potentially get out from Sekera's contract soon enough.

Cap should not be near the problem I thought it would be.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Ok so it’s your reality. Which would be different than actual reality where the team is in a playoff spot and trending up.

I think the team is trending up, though I have concerns (as we all do I'm sure), but this was the group reality in September, so if treat the season like that, you can either be personally confirmed or pleasantly surprised.

Truth be told, I'm just a fan of the team and I'm happy have found some success recently.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

Again, if you just understand that the season was over in September, then you can just be correct when the team fail or surprised if they don't. People will get fired, some have already, we just have to wait.

That's understandable.

 

[MessierII]

I’m definitely pretty stoked to have a prominent Canadian in the world juniors this year. Been a while. I’ll watch closely this year.

 

[Little Fury]

Correct. It has been trending upwards even since Koala was canned.

 

[Tyrolean]

When things begin to look grim, just give up. Words to live by!

When the going gets tough, we go home.

 

[nabob]

I agree that you win with tending and lose with tending. 2 points counts whether it was your goalie that got you the win, or McDavid. Goalies are part of the team, and many teams have ridden hot goalies to a great season.

My point is that the team hasn't looked different since Hitchcock took over, other than goaltending. The original point that I was arguing against was that we are a better team since Hitch took over, and that is only true of the goaltending. The rest of the team has been pretty much exactly the same to be honest. So I'm not willing to say that our improved record since Hitch took over has anything to do with his coaching style, unless you believe that his coaching style somehow makes Koskinen play like a vezina-caliber tender. But I'm sure nobody believes that.

If you think that the team hasn’t looked better under Hitch then you haven’t been paying much attention.

 

[McJadeddog]

Cap is going up and up far more than I ever imagined.

A lil luck with some of our prospects. Potentially get out from Sekera's contract soon enough.

Cap should not be near the problem I thought it would be.

I agree that it has been moving faster than I thought it would, and it looks to be moving up quite a bit this year as well. Having the cap jump lots in the early years of the 97/29 contracts was "best case scenario", so this is obviously very good news.

 

[nabob]

The team isn't trending up, we are trending down actually right now. We have had "mortal" goal tending the past few games and lost 2 in a row. We also have 2 of our top-4 Dmen injured right now. No idea how anybody could say that the team is trending up right now.

We are playing slightly better hockey than we did last year, I'll give you that. It is a very small improvement though, so I'm not exactly dancing in the streets or anything.

Another mediocre season was expected though, which is what Jimmi is referencing. No secondary scoring, tight against the cap, the Sekera injury, and no offensive help on the way (outside of Bouchard I suppose). There were a lot of reasons to not look forward to this season. Most of those reasons have turned out to be accurate, but not all of them.

I've said it a hundred time, and it is still true. When we signed McDavid/Drai to those massive contracts, we were very unlikely to compete until the back-half of the contracts. The Lucic albatross is hurting us as well. Until we have some cap room to fill out the roster with secondary scoring, we aren't going to be able to compete. This likely won't be able to happen until after next year, in the 2020-21 season.

Trending up as a whole since Hitch was hired. You can cherry pick the few average games they have played and say that’s the new status quo if you want. It’s a very pragmatic way of looking at things.

 

[McJadeddog]

If you think that the team hasn’t looked better under Hitch then you haven’t been paying much attention.

I'll refer you to the chart posted right above your post.

 

[Hopelesslucicfan]

I'll refer you to the chart posted right above your post.

It's hard to take that chart, or any other chart showing a decline seriously when our actual record says otherwise.

Since hitch joined us, we've had more success than before. Whether we're trending up or trending down is a matter of how you look at it. If you look hard enough you'll find a stat saying we're declining, and a stat saying we're improving, stats help us understand results, they don't decide them.

Fact is, team success is improved so far, but like any team, we're dealing with injuries and weird scheduling right now.

It's too early to judge where this team is headed, or how successful they will be under hitch compared to tmac, but so far, the results have been an improvement.

 

[McJadeddog]

It's hard to take that chart, or any other chart showing a decline seriously when our actual record says otherwise.

Since hitch joined us, we've had more success than before. Whether we're trending up or trending down is a matter of how you look at it. If you look hard enough you'll find a stat saying we're declining, and a stat saying we're improving, stats help us understand results, they don't decide them.

Fact is, team success is improved so far, but like any team, we're dealing with injuries and weird scheduling right now.

It's too early to judge where this team is headed, or how successful they will be under hitch compared to tmac, but so far, the results have been an improvement.

Agree with this part at least. Results have seen improvement. However, pretty much all aspects of play, outside goaltending, are exactly the same or in some cases worse.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

View attachment 167913

damn, according to this graph, Chiarelli built a pretty darn good team!