Could we make it to the Stanley Cup with our current roster
- Thread starter tardigrade81
- Start date
Not this year. We need to still to do more quality drafting and keep and acquire high draft picks. Top players don't magically appear nor will up and move for some baubles for Edmonton. The latest example was AA for 2 2nds. He showed no desire to be here and wasn't worth resigning.
Probably the best example was Chris Pronger in 2006. Pronger may have signed a lucrative 5 year contract but leather-skinned Lauren didn't like the social scene here and went back to her make-believe world dragging Chris with her after 1 season.
There's been other players, even going back to the WHA days.
Probably the best example was Chris Pronger in 2006. Pronger may have signed a lucrative 5 year contract but leather-skinned Lauren didn't like the social scene here and went back to her make-believe world dragging Chris with her after 1 season.
There's been other players, even going back to the WHA days.
tardigrade81
Registered User
Alright, I’m up and sober.
what moron created this thread??
what moron created this thread??
ThePhoenixx
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- Aug 7, 2005
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tardigrade81
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Delicious Pancakes
Top Pocket Find
So realistically, for the Oilers to go on a Stanley Cup run you would have to start with the team gelling and rolling like it was last year at its peak, and then improve on that. The PP and PK would need to continue to be tops in the league which could happen given there hasn't been much change to those units personnel-wise. However, Klefbom is on LTIR and played important minutes in all situations, so without your #1 is that even possible? How do you make up for that loss? The goaltending has been inconsistent as has forward production and defensive play as a team.
On D with the current roster you don't have any potential #1, so most importantly you would need Nurse and Bear playing at a higher level than last year which is possible. Bear would need to take another step offensively and improve his defensive coverage and gap control, and Nurse would need to cut down on his mistakes and be more discerning in his decision making when breaking the puck out, either in passing to teammates or carrying the puck through to the offensive zone and making a better play once he's entered the zone. Barrie would need to be better which he obviously can be. Hopefully his start can be chalked up to him still settling in with a new team after a long layoff and he can go back to being productive offensively, he probably just needs to get his confidence up. Barrie would also need to develop chemistry with a D partner as well. Larsson would need to play like he was playing towards the end of last season where he was defensively shutting other teams down efficiently. Jones would need to take a step and become a top 4 two-way player. Koekkoek has generally been better than expected and built on his play at the end of last season with Chicago, so if he can continue to build on that and be a solid contributor then that's found money. Russell would need to...be a better starfish?...Not sure this cowboy is learning any new tricks so he would just need to be his best penalty killing self when in the lineup. If Lagesson and Bouchard could step in when an opportunity arises and displace another defenceman because their strong play offers more than an incumbent's that would also be a positive. So essentially the answer to no Klefbom is improvement by committee, especially defensively and in transition.
In goal it's pretty simple. Koskinen and/or Smith when he's back would need to go on a heater(s) and steal some games.
At forward, the best line we saw last year was the DRY line so obviously put them back together. Aside from that you need some players to gel with McDavid, and at this point just try Pulju there. They seemed to generate offense at the end of the game last night. Based on Pulju's start to the season I think at worst they would be a pain in the ass possession-wise for other teams. Put Neal with them and see what happens. If Neal and Pulju are digging pucks out for McDavid and taking the puck to the net it should create chaos that McDavid can take advantage of. Or Maybe Kahun with McDavid and Pulju ends up having some chemistry. If that line works and is outscoring the opposition, and the DRY line is back doing its thing you're off to the races. For the bottom-6 if you put Kassian with Archibald and Shore and told them to dump the puck in and go hit the defenceman they could be an effective checking line and all of those guys have the ability to chip in and bring some energy. Then if the 4th line (whoever makes a good combination out of the remaining forwards) could go out and be an even +/- group and chip in a goal every few games that would give the Oilers a bottom 6 with some identity that can contribute 5 on 5. Does this roster have 3 players to make up a satisfactory 4th line that can hold its own? Maybe Ennis-Turris-Chiasson could work but all 3 would need to regain their past form. Ennis broke his leg so maybe he just needs a bit more time to get back to form, and maybe once Turris is settled he'll look better too. Chiasson contributes when he's on. Nygard is another guy who looked good in his last game, looks more comfortable skill and position-wise than last year, so maybe he could come in and be a positive contributor in the bottom 6 too. The other bottom 6 possibility that looked good in the play-ins against Chicago was Neal-Khaira-Chiasson, so if that line could go out and be a positive difference maker that would be huge too.
So it is possible if things go right, if players progress and things click chemistry-wise for the Oilers to be good in net, solid on defence and dynamic on offence. However Tippett has gotten in the way by being reluctant to try seemingly obvious line combinations or to go back to certain successful combinations. The systems play has also looked too passive for the way the game is played in today's NHL, especially in the defensive end, and the team looks easily disjointed positionally in all zones on a regular basis rather than consistently working as a 5 man unit which if it's happening with all of the lines seems like a systemic issue. The Oilers' issues clearly don't just boil down to repeated individual poor decisions by players, poor hockey IQ, or a lack of skill. Which brings me to another question....
Can the Oilers win the Cup with Tippett calling the shots behind the bench? Because there are some troubling tendencies from the coach which seem like they're limiting individual player and team progress rather than the coach elevating the team with an effective system that plays to its players' strengths. Is Tippett the only problem? Clearly not, and yes the roster could be significantly better. However it's also clear that the roster is not the only thing that is lacking.
On D with the current roster you don't have any potential #1, so most importantly you would need Nurse and Bear playing at a higher level than last year which is possible. Bear would need to take another step offensively and improve his defensive coverage and gap control, and Nurse would need to cut down on his mistakes and be more discerning in his decision making when breaking the puck out, either in passing to teammates or carrying the puck through to the offensive zone and making a better play once he's entered the zone. Barrie would need to be better which he obviously can be. Hopefully his start can be chalked up to him still settling in with a new team after a long layoff and he can go back to being productive offensively, he probably just needs to get his confidence up. Barrie would also need to develop chemistry with a D partner as well. Larsson would need to play like he was playing towards the end of last season where he was defensively shutting other teams down efficiently. Jones would need to take a step and become a top 4 two-way player. Koekkoek has generally been better than expected and built on his play at the end of last season with Chicago, so if he can continue to build on that and be a solid contributor then that's found money. Russell would need to...be a better starfish?...Not sure this cowboy is learning any new tricks so he would just need to be his best penalty killing self when in the lineup. If Lagesson and Bouchard could step in when an opportunity arises and displace another defenceman because their strong play offers more than an incumbent's that would also be a positive. So essentially the answer to no Klefbom is improvement by committee, especially defensively and in transition.
In goal it's pretty simple. Koskinen and/or Smith when he's back would need to go on a heater(s) and steal some games.
At forward, the best line we saw last year was the DRY line so obviously put them back together. Aside from that you need some players to gel with McDavid, and at this point just try Pulju there. They seemed to generate offense at the end of the game last night. Based on Pulju's start to the season I think at worst they would be a pain in the ass possession-wise for other teams. Put Neal with them and see what happens. If Neal and Pulju are digging pucks out for McDavid and taking the puck to the net it should create chaos that McDavid can take advantage of. Or Maybe Kahun with McDavid and Pulju ends up having some chemistry. If that line works and is outscoring the opposition, and the DRY line is back doing its thing you're off to the races. For the bottom-6 if you put Kassian with Archibald and Shore and told them to dump the puck in and go hit the defenceman they could be an effective checking line and all of those guys have the ability to chip in and bring some energy. Then if the 4th line (whoever makes a good combination out of the remaining forwards) could go out and be an even +/- group and chip in a goal every few games that would give the Oilers a bottom 6 with some identity that can contribute 5 on 5. Does this roster have 3 players to make up a satisfactory 4th line that can hold its own? Maybe Ennis-Turris-Chiasson could work but all 3 would need to regain their past form. Ennis broke his leg so maybe he just needs a bit more time to get back to form, and maybe once Turris is settled he'll look better too. Chiasson contributes when he's on. Nygard is another guy who looked good in his last game, looks more comfortable skill and position-wise than last year, so maybe he could come in and be a positive contributor in the bottom 6 too. The other bottom 6 possibility that looked good in the play-ins against Chicago was Neal-Khaira-Chiasson, so if that line could go out and be a positive difference maker that would be huge too.
So it is possible if things go right, if players progress and things click chemistry-wise for the Oilers to be good in net, solid on defence and dynamic on offence. However Tippett has gotten in the way by being reluctant to try seemingly obvious line combinations or to go back to certain successful combinations. The systems play has also looked too passive for the way the game is played in today's NHL, especially in the defensive end, and the team looks easily disjointed positionally in all zones on a regular basis rather than consistently working as a 5 man unit which if it's happening with all of the lines seems like a systemic issue. The Oilers' issues clearly don't just boil down to repeated individual poor decisions by players, poor hockey IQ, or a lack of skill. Which brings me to another question....
Can the Oilers win the Cup with Tippett calling the shots behind the bench? Because there are some troubling tendencies from the coach which seem like they're limiting individual player and team progress rather than the coach elevating the team with an effective system that plays to its players' strengths. Is Tippett the only problem? Clearly not, and yes the roster could be significantly better. However it's also clear that the roster is not the only thing that is lacking.
tardigrade81
Registered User
Wow. Well said.....
Going further with your point with Larsson playing like he did toward the end of last season, I heard he is leading the league in blocked shots..... so that’s a highlight for him at least. Missing Klefbom is the killer though without a doubt.
The answer is self-evident...No.
We need improved goal tending; solid 1-2 Dmen, recharged bottom six for starters.
Stoneman89
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- Feb 8, 2008
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We could definitely make it to the Stanley Cup with this roster. But COVID rules would have to be relaxed so the team can get into the HHOF in Toronto to view it.
Stoneman89
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- Feb 8, 2008
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Leading the league in blocked shots can be a misleading stat in and of itself. It could imply that you spend a lot of time in your own end and have difficulty getting the puck out.
tardigrade81
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Aerchon
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- Jul 20, 2011
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Yes.
Two of the best players in the world is a good start but this team has depth.
That depth is for reasons sucking badly right now but we have a rather impressive roster on paper.
Much like poker needing just a chip and a chair the Oilers, like any team in the nhl, can catch fire and burn all the way to a Stanley Cup. Parity is real. Puck luck is real.
Is it likely? f*** no, but absolutely is possible and the roster is being slept on due to various good reasons, chief among them the putrid coaching.
Two of the best players in the world is a good start but this team has depth.
That depth is for reasons sucking badly right now but we have a rather impressive roster on paper.
Much like poker needing just a chip and a chair the Oilers, like any team in the nhl, can catch fire and burn all the way to a Stanley Cup. Parity is real. Puck luck is real.
Is it likely? f*** no, but absolutely is possible and the roster is being slept on due to various good reasons, chief among them the putrid coaching.
tardigrade81
Registered User
He did play much better the second half of last season. He’s super inconsistent. Always has been, always will be.
rboomercat90
Registered User
We don’t have a top four defenseman on the roster and our goaltending is mediocre at best. You don’t have to look further than that to disqualify this team from winning anything. If you did look further though, you’d see a forward group with no offence in its bottom six and a 12.5 million dollar center that bleeds goals against. No, this roster isn’t good enough to win a Stanley Cup.
Ghost of Ethan Hunt
The Official Ghost of Space Ghosts Monkey
Yes, you can, depending on matchups, health etc.
McShogun99
Registered User
We're still a #1 goalie, #1 defenceman, top 6 winger and a better bottom six away from being a Cup contender.
Oilslick941611
slapshot into the empty net...utterly irrelevant
I think that it could get to the Stanley cup finals for sure, but not the way they are playing right now.
Yes lots of time to get to Tampa for the parade in 2021 . No chance we are playing for anything other then a high draft pick at this time .
