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Around the League - 2015/16 Edition Part 3

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CupofOil

CupofOil

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Aug 20, 2009
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Mr Positive said:
don't under estimate free agency. We're coming into a lot of cap space this summer, and look at how quick Sekera was to pick Edmonton. We could have added anyone we wanted to that summer. We picked Sekera.

With cap uncertainty coming up, a lot of impending UFAs may not be re-signed. Vancouver is starting to look like they are going to give up on the season so Hamhuis will probably make it to July 1st as a UFA. Tampa could easily walk away from Coburn in an attempt to keep their main core. It seems like Yandle will very likely make it to July 1st.
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Signing 2nd tier free agents isn't going to move the needle much.
Yandle is the type of Dman who needs heavy sheltering to succeed and I'd bet anything that he'll sign with a U.S. team, probably the Red Wings IMO.
None of the other guys are even remotely enticing. Buff would have been the one guy who could have made a meaningful impact.

What the Oilers need is a culture changing move. Besides the fact that they need a legit top pairing Dman, the group as a whole needs a facelift.
It seems like we have the same conversation every year but games like the one against the Jets in a tight checking game just illustrates how far the Oilers are from competing on a regular basis. Even the Marlies outplayed them most of that game. They consistently get outworked, physically dominated and suffocated against teams that play structured hockey. The Oilers almost never dictate pace unless the other team lets them with awful turnovers and lackluster effort.

The roster AS USUAL, is too soft, too inexperienced, too weak mentally and physically and is just plain not good enough at a lot of positions.
I don't know if I see Chia blowing this thing up but there's a lot of subtraction by addition that needs to be done and a lot of players needed to fill those vacated spots.

My skeleton lineup would be.....

xxx-McDavid-xxx
Hall-Draisaitl-xxx
xxx-xxx-Kassian
Hendricks-Letestu-xxx

Sekera-xxx
Klefbom-xxx
Nurse-Davidson/Gryba

Even with Klefbom, we have no idea how serious this infection is and if it will affect him long term beyond this season.
Where does Reinhart even fit in the lineup? Talk about a waste of assets.
I don't think he has been bad by any means but who does he supplant in the top 6?

Obviously some of those blanks up front will be filled by current players and/or upcoming prospects but I'd rather see a lineup full of grinders who bring it every night alongside the top skilled guys who might not be as dynamic than a bunch of wallflowers who wilt at any sign of adversity and only show up once every five games.
I'd also add Hall in the group that should be put up for auction, Draisaitl as well if it the return was sufficient (Pietangelo level Dman). Nobody outside of McDavid should be off the table.
 
CupofOil

CupofOil

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The Nuge said:
Why would Yandle need sheltering to succeed? He played top pairing his whole career, until 76 games ago, and is back there now
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Yandle has always played soft minutes.
Not saying that I wouldn't want the Oilers to sign him but just pointing out that he has always been sheltered to an extent and would probably struggle in a #1 role. There's pretty much no chance he signs in Edmonton anyway.
 

McDeathbyCheerios*

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McCupofOil said:
Yandle has always played soft minutes.
Not saying that I wouldn't want the Oilers to sign him but just pointing out that he has always been sheltered to an extent and would probably struggle in a #1 role. There's pretty much no chance he signs in Edmonton anyway.
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Wasn't he OEL partner for a long while? How is that soft minutes.
 
Spawn

Spawn

Something in the water
Feb 20, 2006
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McDeathbyCheerios said:
Wasn't he OEL partner for a long while? How is that soft minutes.
Click to expand...

In 5 seasons with Ekman-Larsson, they played 92 minutes together at 5v5. That's like.... 20 seconds a game on average. Probably at the end of the odd PP. Yandle and OEL never played together.

Yandle for years in Phoenix got offensive zone pushes and relatively soft comeptition. He was expertly used by Tippet in that he was able to maximize his offensive contributions, and minimize what was some pretty terrible defensive play.

In New York he's even more heavily sheltered. Like... literally the most sheltered d-man in the league type sheltered.

Offensively he's one of the elite. Defensively he's honestly not much better than Justin Schultz.

Keith Yandle would be a disaster if he was brought in with the hopes of him being a top pairing guy. Maybe if we also could get a guy like Hamonic who could take on the toughs and provide some opportunity to shelter Yandle.
 
CupofOil

CupofOil

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Spawn said:
In 5 seasons with Ekman-Larsson, they played 92 minutes together at 5v5. That's like.... 20 seconds a game on average. Probably at the end of the odd PP. Yandle and OEL never played together.

Yandle for years in Phoenix got offensive zone pushes and relatively soft comeptition. He was expertly used by Tippet in that he was able to maximize his offensive contributions, and minimize what was some pretty terrible defensive play.

In New York he's even more heavily sheltered. Like... literally the most sheltered d-man in the league type sheltered.

Offensively he's one of the elite. Defensively he's honestly not much better than Justin Schultz.

Keith Yandle would be a disaster if he was brought in with the hopes of him being a top pairing guy. Maybe if we also could get a guy like Hamonic who could take on the toughs and provide some opportunity to shelter Yandle.
Click to expand...

I was just about to post something like this but you laid it out perfectly.

Yandle would be a good add but the Oilers would also need to add a rock solid defensive partner to shelter him. If they can add Yandle and Hamonic somehow, that would be a great offseason. Adding just Yandle and they still struggle greatly to keep pucks out of their net.
 
nabob

nabob

Big Daddy Kane
Aug 3, 2005
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Spawn said:
In 5 seasons with Ekman-Larsson, they played 92 minutes together at 5v5. That's like.... 20 seconds a game on average. Probably at the end of the odd PP. Yandle and OEL never played together.

Yandle for years in Phoenix got offensive zone pushes and relatively soft comeptition. He was expertly used by Tippet in that he was able to maximize his offensive contributions, and minimize what was some pretty terrible defensive play.

In New York he's even more heavily sheltered. Like... literally the most sheltered d-man in the league type sheltered.

Offensively he's one of the elite. Defensively he's honestly not much better than Justin Schultz.

Keith Yandle would be a disaster if he was brought in with the hopes of him being a top pairing guy. Maybe if we also could get a guy like Hamonic who could take on the toughs and provide some opportunity to shelter Yandle.
Click to expand...

He also had his minutes reduced during the playoffs and it was obvious that he was getting exposed regularly in his own zone. He is a high event player at both ends of the ice.
 
BlackDogg

BlackDogg

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Anybody want to bet the Flames come out on top of the Ducks today so that they are an even more desperate team against the Oilers tomorrow night? Seems to happen a lot this year.
 
BlackDogg

BlackDogg

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This is going to be scary tomorrow night. Hope the Ducks don't go to crazy on the OIlers.
 
Del Preston

Del Preston

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Mar 8, 2013
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Calgary's goaltending is atrocious.

I wonder if they miss Brossoit.
RwOdsFW.gif
 
Del Preston

Del Preston

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According to Sportsnet the Flames and Jets have both allowed 4+ goals 24 times this season. Worst in the NHL.
 

Hockey Nightmare

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Oct 25, 2007
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It always bugged me how Brossoit was an oil king and yet a flames prospect. I give credit to mact for that one.
 
Mr Positive

Mr Positive

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McDangler97 said:
And yet the Oilers made the Jets look like a Stanley Cup winning team last game
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to be fair, they mentioned that the Jets road record has been improving a lot lately and it appears that their approach is to play more shutdown D.

Besides, they very nearly lost that game, and it was won against the worst team in the west. It went to a coin flip shootout for crying out loud. They didn't look good at all imo.
 
McDrai

McDrai

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Mar 29, 2009
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Mr Positive said:
to be fair, they mentioned that the Jets road record has been improving a lot lately and it appears that their approach is to play more shutdown D.

Besides, they very nearly lost that game, and it was won against the worst team in the west. It went to a coin flip shootout for crying out loud. They didn't look good at all imo.
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Well they pretty much shut down the Oilers for the first 2 periods. The Oilers did have a better 3rd period though and tied the game which is nice to see. However, the Oilers should have generated much more against a team that has allowed 4+ goals in 24 games this season. The problem with the Oilers is that the book is out on them. Pressure the defense, play a physical game, and there will be plenty of opportunities.
 
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